The Lost Ashikabi
by Zikex
Summary: Zike is a young, apathetic, human mercenary. So what happens when he becomes Yume's ashikabi, an event that should be impossible? What happens when she declares she protects her fellow Sekirei yet he does not care? What happens when he is hired to take part in the Sekirei plan by a particular wealthy individual? What happens when he is the cause for the sekirei plan?
1. Past: Act 1-1

Author's Notes: This is my first story ever and I am not much of a writer. I am trying this out because I was curious and wanted to see how it goes. With that in mind please point out mistakes that I made and do not hate it too much. Anyway this chapter is just a prologue before I get into the main story. I thought about including it later but then it will be confusing later on for reasons I will not explain because it will be a spoiler. Anyway Enjoy.

I do not own Sekirei or the some of the main characters in this story. I do own Zike and the other guy.

**The Lost Ashikabi – Prologue Part One: Kamikura Invasion**

*Story Start*

"Umm sir?"

I lazily opened an eyelid halfway and turned my head to the young, yet, uncertain male voice trying to gain my attention. He better have a good reason for waking me up while I was sleeping. "…What?" It took me a few seconds to respond due to the drowsiness still present. My voice came out sounding uninterested and lazy yet had a calm aspect to it. This caused the young man in front of me to increase his nervousness since it sounded like I am annoyed. It is how I usually speak and he hasn't gotten used to it yet, despite knowing me for a few days.

The man continued slightly fidgeting in the process, "Isn't it time to be preparing for the mission?"

I yawned and closed my eyes to go back to sleep. "Oh yeah. Whatever. The mission. Go Teamwork. Whoooooo," I slightly raised my fist in a cheery but lazy manner. I really do not have time to be answering questions. I could be doing something better… like sleeping.

I paused. "…..Eh? Wait? What mission?" Drowsiness leaving me as it takes me a few seconds to realize what the young man truly said to me.

I started registering the surroundings around me as I raised my eyelids to their original position halfway from being fully open. The blades of a helicopter were roaring around me as the smell of the ocean drifted toward my nose. I looked around and found out that indeed, I was in a small four-manned helicopter in the middle of the ocean and quickly discovered I was not alone.

Right beside me was the young man who spoke to me, Usagi, I believe it was and looked like he was in his early twenties. He is Japanese and his face was young yet handsome with brown eyes showing naivety yet and he was wearing a military attire looking ready to go to battle. He had a light brown helmet with strands of black hair protruding out with a bullet proof vest with a camouflage uniform not identifying which country he was from. I noted that it was a looked suited for more mountainous regions and looked brand new with no signs of wear, tear, or dirt. Strapped to his back was a rifle and at his waist was a pistol and a combat knife accompanied with a radio in his pocket. Changing my gaze to view in front of me, I found that two men piloting the helicopter were dressed similarity with the young men yet lacking a rifle.

I looked outside and discovered many similar military vehicles surrounding me. In the skies were numerous attack helicopters and on the sea was three battleship cruisers. I narrowed my eyes and looked ahead of the helicopter I was in. They were all moving in the same direction we were going. I pondered why so much firepower was headed toward a one place. Either this was a leader's bright idea for a vacation or there was something big about to happen that requires so much force. Yet I don't remember being assigned to attack any hostile forces or anything for that matter.

Usagi sighed next to me, yet still had a posture that showed his nervousness. "We were assigned a mission to invade a mission sir. Don't you remember the briefing that we discussed before we deployed?"

"Ah…," I recalled that there was indeed a briefing before we were sent out, "I forgot." I honestly fell asleep during the briefing after I was assigned my own mission. Moving for days without sleep does that to you. It was annoying because I always miss the important parts at the wrong times and it nearly got me shot… or exploded… or poisoned… or drowned… or inflamed…

Now I remember why I don't sleep that often.

Usagi sighed, rubbing his forehead looking drained as he was needed to brief the mission again. "Wewere assigned by the world leaders to investigate a private island owned by Hiroto Minaka named Kamikura Island after it was wiped from all the maps. Hiroto Minaka owns a billion dollar company called MBI and uses advanced technology, far superior to any other country in the world for medical situations. We discovered that he constantly visiting the island and since it was wiped from the map the world leaders believe it is where he aquired the advanced technology."

I raised an eyebrow. "Won't they be in trouble if they are wrong and isn't this a little too much?"

"The world leaders are desperate since Minaka is rapidly gaining wealth and power so when there was a report there was a report that may have led to his current position, they took a gamble," sounding exhausted. He probably did not want to be here for something that may or not be there which was given by info that may or may not be true. "Plus if they are wrong, they will blame it on the pretense that they were following pirates"

"Pirates? Really?" It was too far-fetched for an excuse. This island looked too far away for ships to be passing by and even if they did build an island here, it would be a waste of resources due to transportation. Terrorists would be a more believable excuse but then again, they would likely be noticed before even getting near the island.

"They are _really_ desperate. Plus if that doesn't work, they will say that they did not authorize this mission and that we were rebellious and wanted to take out our anger on billionaires due to our "underdeveloped" state"

I gave him a skeptical look and raised an eyebrow at that.

"That's what I thought too. That is the world of politics. But it doesn't look like there's anything on that island so we should be fine," despite what he said, he still looked nervous for what may or may not come.

I sighed and just scratched my head and looking out toward the sea filled with military personnel. It's not the first time I have been on an assignment like this or I doubt it will be the last. It was understandable for a leader to cut your losses and disclaim ownership over your own forces to make sure your position was secure. What is annoying is when said leader made the problem in the first place but as I long as I get paid for this, I don't really care that much.

The reason I do not care much may be because I am a world-travelling mercenary… or that I am really bored. A messenger representing them sought me out and hired me to assist with the mission in any way I can. That alone can tell anyone how skilled I am at my profession. It seems that they wanted to be 100 percent sure that I find something that may be useful or helpful to them and since I am not aligned with any country, they can just say that I was a terrorist acting of my own free will. The fact that I have not been declared a terrorist _before_ the mission is because the jobs I usually did before were not well known among regular people or too subtle to notice and blame on one person since I am more of a covert mercenary meaning I did jobs in secret. Since I am not well known, their claim would backfire on them. This invasion of Kamikura, on the other hand, may work but its fine. I got paid and it would be unacceptable to abandon the task I was assigned when I respectably compensated _before_ I was assigned the mission. Even if the world turned against me, I would complete the task I was given. It is not matter of honor, more like a matter of my personal rules.

Kamikura Island

I have not heard much information about the island despite sometimes working in the black-market. If I was a regular person, this would not have bothered me and I would claim that it was just a normal person. If I was a regular person, I wouldn't have dealt with jobs that dealt with the extraterrestrial, supernatural, and magical that disregards scientific laws. If I was a regular person, I would not be a mercenary.

Unfortunately, I am not a regular person so with years of experience dealing with the most unnatural of circumstances, my instincts are telling me that this will not be a regular investigation mission.

"But again sir," Usagi interrupted my thoughts with a skeptical question, "Shouldn't you be more prepared even though nothing may be on the island?"

I blinked and tilted my head with my bored, half-lidded eyes, a little confused at his question. "But I'm already prepared".

What I was mentioning was my grey jean pants and my long black sleeved T-shirt covered by a hooded white trench coat that covered my arms and part of my chest that went a bit past my knees. I had on a grey, small, one-strapped backpack that covered most looked like it carried only books for school. My face looked young, about 16 or 18, with chocolate brown skin and brown eyes. I had short black hair and was about 160cm so I was short compared to most people. What usually made me stand out was my somewhat bored or frowning expression that is always on my face.

I never smiled once in my life. There was never a reason to.

"… With all due respect sir, it is annoying to call someone who is barely younger than you and barely looks ready for battle sir." Usagi claimed, raising an eyebrow at my somewhat casual answer.

I turned half my face staring at him for a few seconds then continued to stare out at the ocean. "Then get better at your job so you don't have to. If it annoys you so much, just call me Zike" I lazily replied.

"That sounds like a Japanese name. I thought you were American?" Usagi, slightly, surprised. He was the sort of a person who says the wrong things at the wrong times. It was probably the reason he was assigned to monitor me by an angry superior while on this mission in case I may accidentally kill him. If he dies, they can blame it on me and that is one less annoying person to deal with. From what I heard, he joined the military as soon as he reached the required age yet lacked any real combat experience. He was mostly assigned to guard duty or janitor duty but he was hoping to one day "Be a Hero" in the military.

I snorted with amusement at the idea. If only he realized that heroes aren't as heroic as they seem.

"I am not American nor African," I lazily replied. To be honest, I do not know what I descend from despite being similar to what people call Africans. I am sure of this because _I am not from this world_ but I am absolutely _sure_ of one thing.

I am human and that is all I will ever care to know about.

"But really, it is rare for such a young bra- kid to go the battlefield. It is even more rare to be noticed anyone"

I snorted at that comment. He reminded me so much of an annoying person that was similar to him. If the similarities keep adding up, I may kill him like his superiors supposedly planned out of annoyance.

"Ho? This coming from a person who has his fly open?" Having a conversation passed the time and I don't know how long it will be until we reached our destination.

"Tch. Annoying little bast-," I stared at him with a face asking, "Should you really be talking to your superior like this". "…I mean what a delightful and mature kid you are," The black haired man corrected, forcing a strained smile.

"Good boy. Want a cookie?" The fact that I asked him while picking my nose was probably not the best idea. The pilots at the cockpit were snickering at the jab.

He gave me blank expression while he pulled his zipper to his pants up "… Beware of the things that go walk in the dark when you sleep _sir_".

"Hmm? Sorry did you say something?" I ignored him while turning back to stare out at the ocean.

I don't sleep much anyway so his threat meant nothing to me. Not that it would have if I did sleep anyway.

The young soldier was silent. He did not respond at all. Strange, he usually was muttering curses at this point since I knew him a few days before our deployment. I tuned toward him and found that he was looking ahead, worried, still possessing the nervous posture that he seemed to have ever since we were deployed. "Zike… ever had the feeling that something will go horribly wrong," Usagi sounded serious for some reason. The fact that he used my name instead of sir showed how serious this matter was.

I pondered the question for a bit before answer. "Yes…"

"… Wait that's it?" Usagi complained, looking very irritated. "No personal experience, or any awesome mission you went on that you barely survived in. Or fighting any mutated people or evil overlords."

Of course I have but if I tell him I am never going to hear the end of it so I just replied with a nod of my head.

The black haired man palmed his face and growled like someone who took away his favorite food. "You are so boring. You are never going to get a girlfriend like this"

"From my perspective, girlfriends rip you off and take your money which probably happened to you in some point of your life."

"…"

"… Wait it did? Are you that naïve to fall for such a thing?"

"… She had big boobs and nice ass. I got to have sex with her for a week so it's all good." Giving me a thumbs up and grinning for his job well done.

I merely shook my head and continued staring back out toward the ocean.

"We will be arriving at Kamikura island in ten minutes," The pilots in front of us reminded us that we have job to do. We do not know what we will find but I know from experience that it will not be a simple investigation mission.

I closed my eyes and tried to get as much shut eye as I possibly can. This is going to be annoying and hopefully it won't be annoying to the point where I will die.

* * *

Kamikura island is not too big but also not too small. You could cross the entire island in half a day if you jogged across it. It had little to no vegetation and from the helicopter, you can see small cliffs even from a few kilometers away that could lead to death if you fell from one. It was sort of oval shaped with a huge mountain in the center of it with a sort of gorge beside it.

It has been about thirty minutes since arriving here and almost all the troops and tanks were on the island. The cruisers stayed a distance away instead of docking near it in case there was a need for naval support. The helicopters including mind were hovering a few thousand feet above them, waiting for the troops to get on land. We were not getting close to the island until after the troops have landed and the mission has started.

The plan for this mission was for the troops and tanks to land on the island and begin spreading out, surveying the area for anything they might find. If we stayed for too long, it would no doubt cause too much political problems. The helicopters were supposed to stay ahead of them, but not too far, so that the troops had aerial surveillance of the area plus support if there was a need for it. We could have just surveyed the area ourselves but the island had too many cliffs and a huge gorge so it may be possible that we could have missed something. Our main objective was to find out how Minaka was gaining such advanced technology and amassed so much money in a short amount of time. Even if Minaka did manage to find advanced technology on this island, it was unnatural for him to gain so much money in just a few years, being the top pharmaceutical company in the world.

_KUURCCH "The mission will begin as soon as mongoose squadron is in place. This operation should be completed in less than 24 hours before this becomes a political problem. Wilbor-1 and C-2, you and your squads should begin approaching the island now. Zike, you have been provided your own helicopter and support squad so do whatever you have to unless it interferes with our forces. You are to report anything you find in the process. Am I clear?" _The commander for this operation ordered in a deep but hoarse voice. I don't really know much about him except that I was to follow his exact commands when ordered. From what I learned, he survived and won enough battles to be deemed the commander of this rogue force by various world leaders.

_KURRCCH _"Clear. I will follow the Wilborn-1's quad for now before I do my own thing," I replied in a lazy manner no doubt angering my superior. The people who hired me learned that I was more efficient when I did assignments in my own way, hence why I was given so much freedom. My support was squad was only the two pilots in front of me who were just here for transportation rather than aerial support and Usagi. The reason I was given a squad at all was so that they could monitor and report things in case I do not. They would have been assigned more soldiers but I refused to have more than one accompanying me during the mission due to how much coordination would be lost if there was more. Usagi was randomly picked from the mix of them and I could have gotten a more experienced soldier but I was sleeping through most of the briefing though so there was never a chance to request it. It is fine like this though and didn't really matter to me much as long as I got paid.

"My first mission other than guard duty," Usagi next to me started talking with a nervous yet giddy voice, "I am pretty excited for this mission to be honest". His posture looked like he was ready for action but his eyes still displayed unease and naivety. He was probably expecting to be fighting an unknown force and being declared a hero for fame and fortune.

Well time to shatter that dream.

"We will be avoiding as much combat, if any, as possible," from the corner of my eye, I found him staring at me with a betrayed expression as if I even cared about his feelings. I stood up from my seat and grabbed on to the top of the helicopter, staring out in front of me towards the island. "We will mostly be doing some a lot of walking rather like the main force in another section of the island a few minutes after the mission started". I do not like working with too much people. It somehow causes a large chance of backstabbing for some reason and the less people to deal with, the better.

The young black haired soldier, now looking dejected started staring at the floor of the helicopter. "… But I want action and fighting," complaining like a kid who lost his toy.

"No. You are with me so follow my orders. You'll live much longer if you do so," I replied without missing a beat, not bothering to turn my head in his direction. My mission was to discover Minaka was truly gaining advanced technology from the island. As soon as I find out, if there is anything, I will report back and disappear as soon as possible. There was no reason to stay for too long and I dislike taking more than one job from my clients. It is to make sure they don't abuse my abilities for greedy gains, not that I cared, but it would prevent me from taking other jobs. Plus if I stayed for too long, I would only be double-crossed in the future.

"Yes sir," The naïve soldier lazily replied and stood up from his seat and did the same thing I am doing except toward the opposite side of the helicopter. Usagi complained a lot and talked back from time to time but he was very loyal to people he trusts. I probably automatically gained his trust from my profession alone being a mercenary. He was naïve like that.

We were now only a very close to approaching the Land of Kamikura Island a few thousand meters in the air and we should be approaching it in less than 30 seconds. The wind was blowing against my trench coat and causing me to close my eyes a bit to shield from the dust blowing from the island. The troops and tanks were at their designated points and the helicopters were beginning to move ahead of them.

"_This is the mongoose squadron. We've reach the designated point," _A soldier spoked into the communication link.

"Here we go," despite being depressed before, Usagi was now looking ready for action and his excitement and nervousness was noticeable in his voice. The dust stopped blowing at this point as the wind was more controlled now suddenly.

I returned my eyes to their half-lidded state before suddenly feeling like I was scanned. It was like a security camera that could gain all the information on an object just by looking. I tensed at the unique feeling, wondering what the hell that was.

I froze as soon as we passed the edge of Kamikura Island.

"_This is Wilbor-1. I don't see anything. It's all rocks."_

Something is not right. The wind was controlled to perfectly to the point where it seemed relaxing and being different from its previous state of being harsh. Normally a person would ignore this but to me who has dealt with various things that should not exist, this triggered warning bells. I narrowed my eyes toward the ground quickly scanning the area for anything that may seem out of place.

I found myself zeroing in the direction where the wind was calmest and noticed a barely visible figure in the distance. It looked to be female and was not armed from my distance but we were still too far away to be absolutely sure but I can tell two things.

This figure was not human and had the ability to control wind.

It may be too soon to make a claim like this but I learned to throw away logic as soon as things do not start adding up. It is what made me live through countless assignments issued by various clients and it has never failed me. If we stayed in the air any longer, we would be severely injured or most likely killed by either being thrown into the ground or colliding with the other copters depending on how skilled the _thing_ was with her powers. It was the only explanation possible at the time for why she was on the island alone. No that's wrong.

_It was here to destroy us and it was not the only one._

"Takes us down to the ground now," I calmly but quickly ordered the command to take us down to ground level and soon stepped down from it with Usagi following close behind, curious and worried with my sudden action. The reason I ordered only my helicopter was that I was ordered not to interfere with the main forces mission. It was cruel to not help them from a potential danger but orders were orders. The helicopter I was in before was waiting for orders and I ordered the pilots to head back toward the land forces and circle the island a distance away. They followed the order without any response or question except with a nod of their head

Such disciplined soldiers.

"_C-2, roger. Move our area of operations towards the target. Don't let your guard down." _

"_Roger That"_

"Hey! Why did we leave our helicopter? I thought we were following the other helicopters?" Usagi nervously asked his question and began showing more unease at the current situation. He started following close to my heels as soon as I soon started walking. We were about a few meters to the northwest of the land forces and on higher ground so we could get a better view of the situation but my destination was someplace away from the potential fight.

I ignored him and started to try and figure out our current predicament. We currently had four parts of our forces. The air force, the artillery, the infantry, and the navy. Considering that the _thing_ can control wind, it was probably meant to deal with the air force since they can easily be destroyed if there is a strong wind current. _It _would have a harder time dealing with the rest of the forces so it either had multiple powers or that there were three others assigned to deal with us.

Wait. Five of those _things_ may be here. That feeling before we passed the edge of Kamikura Island was not normal and could have been belonging to one of those _things _specializing in information. If the female _thing_ from the before did it, _it _would not be standing outside in the open. If I could only gain information visually, I would at least hide in a high position with lots of cover to avoid being spotted.

This rules out the possibility of _those _things having more than one power but anything unexpected can happen.

"?"

"What's wrong?"

"It's a person! There's a person standing there!"

"A-a woman?

I looked toward the two helicopters that were closest to the _thing _I saw before still walking away from the potential conflict. I narrowed my eyes as I saw what looked like sakura petals that were close to the helicopters. It looks to be an aspect of the _thing's _power and it was helpful to know there was a signal before _it _used _its_ powers. I noted that the wind suddenly changed and seemed under someone's control.

There was nothing the helicopters could do about what came next.

"_GAAHHHHH"_

The wind changed so that it was comparable to a hurricane and caused both of the helicopters rotors to bend in a way not possible by normal means. The wind, much comparable to a couple of hands crumpling paper, crushed the men so that their blood could be seen inside and collided the two choppers which made them descend towards the Earth. Ripped of their ability to fly, the choppers collided with the ground and triggered an explosion heat so strong that I could feel even a distance away. The force of it caused my coat rustle a bit but that was it. Four men had their lives taken by an unnatural wind and there was nothing that could be done to save them.

It was unfortunate they weren't the only ones who would befall the same fate.

"_What is it?! What Happened, Wilbor?"_

The sakura petals appeared again, seeming to take the lives of those it touched. The rest of the helicopter squadron soon had their bodies crushed and killed instantly as their vehicles collided with one another. It produced another explosion that roared high in the air that could kill a human if they were too close to it and probably could be seen by the land and maybe even the naval forces. You could probably imagine their faces containing fear and panic as their allies were killed brutally

I sighed and scratched my head in annoyance. I knew this was going to happen at some point and did not get my hopes up for a regular, easy job. This happens so often that it would be strange without something like this happening. I continued walking away from the fight and suddenly had the feeling I forgot something.

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!" Usagi shouted with fear and panic present in his voice.

Oh yeah. I forgot about him. Was he following me the whole time?

"That is our signal to leave the island. Good work. Mission accomplished," I lazily replied while picking my ear with my pinkie. He screamed too loud and right behind me too. Couldn't he have screamed facing a direction away from me?

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN MISSION ACCOMPLISHED? AREN'T WE RUNNING AWAY?"

"This is not running away. We are advancing in another direction and technically this is walking. Keep up," I yawned out and soon found myself picked up off the ground from my shirt by him and I found myself calm and lazy gaze staring into his furious, panicking one.

"_Damn it! The heli's down! I repeat! The Heli's down!"  
_  
"THOSE PEOPLE JUST DIED AND ALL YOU COULD CAN SAY IS MISSION ACC-," I calmly slapped him hard across the face before he could finish his ranting but he still held a strong grip on my shirt. I don't have time to deal to be reasonable and his shouting might attract the attention of those _things_. The last thing we need is those things heading toward us. Before he had a chance to respond to my action, I reached around and picked up the radio from his back pocket with my right hand. While still held in his grip and holding the radio, I silently uppercutted the tip of his chin lightly with my left hand that appeared to be a blur in his eyes which made him lose his balance and drop his grip.

My feet landed toward the ground without trouble while Usagi was trying to keep his balance much similar to a drunk man. The anger drained from the young soldier as he stared at me in confusion at the attacks I performed on him, his face looking panicked and afraid.

I clicked on the radio and voiced static from its speakers. The channel should be tuned to our helicopter that I sent away. It was the only chopper that did not get destroyed and it was our only way off the island.

Before I could speak, the commander of mongoose continued speaking and both Usagi and my attention were turned not toward him and his units.

_Our attention was turned to the man walking toward him. _

The manwas tall with messy silver hair and gray eyes. He appeared to be equipped with a black sheathed sword with similar shirt and pants. His shirt is open in the front, stopping just a few inches below his solar plexus, with crisscrossing bands of leather forming an 'X'. The sleeves near his shoulders has a single band around them and sitting almost lazily on his waist is a belt that looks more like an accessory than an actually functioning one. It sat slightly askew, the left side riding lower on his hip than the right, and the ends are tied together by a leather string. The one that caught our attention the most was the orange scarf that is wrapped around his neck and shoulders.

I made a mistake. He was not a man.

If he came from the same place that the _thing_ we saw before did, he was also a _thing_. They resembled humans so much but I could tell with a glance that they were anything but. They could be mutants but their forms would have been mutated or their appearance would change once they activated their powers. This did not happen with the _thing_ from before so another possibility was monsters but I quickly ruled out that one too. If they were monsters, they would have not had a connection with Minaka and killed him the first chance they got before he would supposedly report their existence. That left only one possibility left.

_We were dealing with extraterrestrial life. _

I groaned and palmed my face as I realized this. They were the most annoying type of all due to unknown technology and different body structure. The absolutely most annoying part about them is that _they cannot be killed through normal means. _Though that may not be present in this case since they resemble a form similar to humans and if I guessed right, have the same organs except for a few extra ones. I hope I guessed right because I do not want to deal with powerful, juggernaut aliens who have to be killed through difficult means.

That's like the serial killer Jason on steroids. I should stop really stop calling them things because it really doesn't tell much. I'll just stick to just calling them man and woman despite them not being human.

"_C-2, what happened!? Did you get attacked?! *Gasp*"_

The _thing_, no,_ man_ stopped in front of Mongoose squad and placed his sword upright in front of him with his eyes closed. It looked like he was focusing on gathering power for his attack as I could feel the earth slightly trembling as if it was willed and controlled by the man.

The man opened his eyes and the calm but harmful aura caused the commander of mongoose squad flinched back in fear. He knew he would lose if he fought against such a powerful being. The man lifted his sword with both hands only to crouch down and once again close his eyes carrying an intense expression that looked prepared for combat but this was not the case. This was not even close to a fight. It was an _extermination._

All it took was a tap of his sword against ground.

I found myself having trouble to keep my balance while Usagi fell on his behind as the Earth around us shattered. It was similar to an earthquake but an earthquake would take more time to change the earth. This happened in almost an instant and caused parts of the earth to rise and fall and formed what looked to be irregular blocks. It caused the tanks of Mongoose quad to either flip over or collide with the various blocks causing them to be put out of commission. It looked like nobody died was since the soldiers were frantically leaving their tanks and running toward the ocean as if it was the only safe place in the world.

…Wait that was only three of the enemies that we were dealing with. They dealt with the air force, the artillery and scanned for information. Where we-

I was suddenly assaulted by an aura that made me and Usagi freeze like deer in front of headlights. My body simply reacted in a split second. WE NEED TO HIDE NOW!

I hastily reacted and grabbed Usagi by the collar still on his behind afraid and confused and dived toward one of the blocks of Earth while covering his mouth. I know this feeling. It was a feeling that I constantly have to feel every time I take a job.

_Bloodlust. Bloodlust that belonged to one of the enemies we were facing_.

A second after we hid, the possessor of the bloodlust landed where we just stood and quickly blurred away, barely making a sound heading toward the troops running toward the ocean. I did not even have a chance to at least to at least distinguish it before it left our presence. After a few seconds, I deemed it safe and stood up and dusted myself off still carrying a bored and annoyed expression. I stopped halfway as gunshots and screams of terror came to my ears.

"GAAHHHHHH!"

"NOOO PLEASE NO PLE- GAAHH!"

"DIE DIE DIE YOU BITCH! COM- GAHH!"

"I HAVE A WIFE AND KIDS PLEA- GUAAHH!"

They had no hope for survival. They were merely being exterminated. They just came here following orders and were dying like livestock. Hundreds of men will not return home to their families. I doubt those men will even be remembered since this is a covert operation. They will merely die and be forgotten. This is the battlefield and there is no mercy. There was no one exempted from this rule.

But that did not matter to me. They were not my responsibility. What was I _am_ responsible for was my own squad which two of them should be circling the island, hopefully unaware what was going on to make our escape easier. I turned to my other squad member expecting him to be ready to be a hero that he always wanted.

And found him about to pull the trigger to his rifle in his mouth.

Oh no you don't. You're not taking the easy way out until I get you and our other squad members out of this seemingly hopeless situation. I always get my teams that I work with back alive and I will not have that rule broken now.

I quickly kicked the gun out of his mouth before he could pull the trigger and punched him in the face hard enough to make him see stars. After he came to, he looked at me with an afraid and furious expression. I think he lost his hope the moment the first enemy attacked and it just depraved him further to his current state of wanting to commit suicide.

"Why won't you let me die? I don't want to be a soldier anymore. I don't want to be a hero. I just want to die," Usagi mumbled, his voice barely reaching my ears due to how quiet it sounded. I frowned at his predicament. He brought his knees up to his chest and rested both hands on top of it. Here he was thinking he would be a hero, awarded a medal, and save his allies in the heat of combat. He went into the army thinking that everyone that was a soldier became a hero.

The truth was harshly placed in front of him. The battlefield was no place for idealists. He would die like the rest of the people in this invasion. He would die being nothing, not being remembered by anyone, and not even performing even a sliver of his dreams. He lost hope and there was nothing left to fight for.

…Whatever. Like I cared how he felt. I want to get out of here so I can take a nap already. This crap is already annoying me and if I hadn't slept in the helicopter before the mission, I would have been already sleeping on the ground.

I only care for my friends but this person is not my friend. He wasn't even close to even being one

But he is an ally. An ally that I will make sure he gets home no matter how broken he may be. I sighed as I scratched my head in annoyance. I hate being the leader but it is my current assignment so I don't have a choice.

As the gunshots and screams sounded were still echoing around us, I used Usagi's radio to contact our chopper.

_KURRRCCHH "Usagi if this is another one of your prank calls, I swear I wi-_

"Usagi's having a mental breakdown, our forces are being exterminated by aliens and you two are our only way off the island alive. If you two try to leave the island by yourselves, you will be killed by the enemy unless we help each other," I interrupted, giving them the summary of our current predicament. From how they did not know about our situation, they must have been on the other side of the island and away from the current events.

_KURRCCHH "… So how are we getting off?" _one of the pilots replied, sounding like he resigned to his fate.

I blinked. Wow. Hadn't expected that response. I expected another mental breakdown to occur but they took it pretty well. I'm impressed. Now I am feeling slightly annoyed that I did not bother to ask their names.

"I have a plan but every second we waste lowers our chance of survival. We need everyone's cooperation for this to work. Do any of you know how to get Usagi out of his current state?"

_KUURRRCHH "Just tell him that there is a hot super model waiting for him at home"_

Usagi got up so quickly it was almost blur and stood at attention with a bright fire in his eyes. "THERE'S A MODEL WAITING FOR ME? WE HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER EVERYONE. LET'S ALL GO HOME. FOR THE SEEXXXXX," Usagi exclaimed, waving his fist like it was for the justice of all mankind.

…Okay what the hell. Here he was crying a moment ago and no-

I was interrupted from my thoughts as Usagi and I were forced to cover our ears as a loud high-pitched sound pierced our ears. I clicked my tongue as it sounded a distance away. Whatever that was, where it came from must be more powerful than the ones we have seen so far. Usagi's radio echoed one of the soldiers on board the cruisers.

"_Yoryoko's sunk! A sonic wave just…"_

"_What"_

The fifth one appeared which means the infantry has been wiped out and it can apparently cut ships in half using supersonic waves.

That's just fantastic.

There is not much time left and here I was thinking I could complete this mission without getting serious once. Looks like I was wrong.

Usagi froze as my expression changed from one of boredom and laziness to one of complete calm and seriousness. "Here is the plan and I need you all to follow it exactly as planned." No longer was my voice sounding bored or uninterested but experienced and professional

It was time to strike back and complete the mission I was assigned without fail. There is no more time to waste.

* * *

For this plan to work, the first step has to be completed no matter the cost. If the first step failed, my team and I will all die with absolute certainty. It was actually pretty easy to do if you think about it from a different angle. For us to get off the island we had to have the element of surprise. We have to make sure the opponents does not know all of our cards. If they know of it, the plan will not work so step one was simple and easy. The supposedly only have one source of gathering information which was one of the aliens but of course this is just a theory. Soon or right now, it should be performing one last scan of the area to see if any survivors escaped from their brutal assault. They will then hunt them down and eliminate them. We tried using the radio to contact any survivors but found nothing.

_We were the only ones left of the invasion force._

All the more reason for us to stop that alien from gathering information of our whereabouts. Like I mentioned before, it was pretty simple if you think about it.

Step1: Gain the opponent's attention to prevent them from getting information.

All you have to do is cause enough of a ruckus to the point where you are possible to ignore. This can range from shooting a gun to just walking in front of them to show that one of them missed a spot. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the first step. It had a complete %100 percent chance of success but here is the thing. Our opponent's need the information from the informant in person in order to hunt down any survivor's so that means that they will all go back to one destination.

In other words, someone has to gain their attention while all the opponents that took out our entire invasion force are gathered in one place and stall them long enough to prevent them from getting information about all our cards and stopping us from leaving the island alive.

Usagi and the two pilots paled once I explained this to them and wondered who the poor soul was going to be but I already decided it.

None was better for the job than me. It was the reason why I was walking to the last direction I saw the opponents were headed to gain their attention.

Stupid? Yes. Insane? Yes. Suicidal? Absolutely. All these made me perfect for the job.

As I was running towards the direction I last saw my foes, I narrowed my eyes as I started to hear talking. One of them sounded like a young man, a bit older than Usagi yes the other sounded older but had an attention-seeking tone to it. I crouched down nearby a small cliff to hear the conversation more and find out when to intervene.

"It's already over, eh," This belonged to the older one.

"Yes, total annihilation," This belonged to the younger one.

"Truly marvelous. Leaving the adjustment process to you was indeed a good decisio- GUFEW?" I can only sigh as it sounded like the older one fell from probably a high place, trying to sound magnificent. Great. I am dealing with one of those types of people.

"Right. Though I'm surprised...," The young man continued as if he did not notice what happened to the older man. "This doesn't feel much like a victory. I was so excited to learn about over technology, thinking that I might be able to create something greater than humanity. But in the end, our actions are no different from regular humans."

"Is that so? I, on the other hand, am thrilled!"

"Many people died today."

"They deserved it. They spat towards heaven. That's all there is to it."

"…" The young man was silent as if he did not agree with the older man's reasoning.

"Anyway, Asama-kun, I've just thought of something wonderful! Let us introduce an age of gods, a legend of miracles in this world!"

I heard multiple footsteps approaching the men. It seemed they finally gathered and don't know that there were any survivors. It was now or never to keep it that way for as long as I can. Hopefully they won't kill me on sight.

I stood up slowly and responded to the older man's last statement. "The age of gods ended a long time ago and miracles are just excuses for people to believe that a God has helped them," I declared, walking out from my hiding place and towards the group of people who caused so much destruction in a short amount of time. I looked around and found that everyone's eyes are on me and that some of the people that destroyed the invasion force had their hands on the weapon. Before they could act, the older man stopped them. It seemed my comment has sparked his interest. Jackpot.

"Ah. Karasuba-chan. It seems you missed one. You must be getting clumsy," The one who destroyed the air force spoke up in a seductive voice. She wore a tight black leather top, a miniskirt and stockings, over the shoulders wearing a grey haori with a sort of bird Crest printed on it. It looked very similar to the wagtail. She has black hair and had a well-developed body that most women would kill for.

"Perhaps you would like to see how clumsy I can be Kazehana-chan," The one who killed the entire infantry spoke in a cold but relaxed way. I noted that she had her eyes on me the whole time as soon as I stepped away from my hiding place. She wore the same attire as the black haired one but has silver hair tied into a ponytail and grey narrow eyes. She also has bag under her eyes giving her an exhausted look.

"He seems different from the invasion forces that we saw. He does not have the same attire as them nor does he seemed suited for combat," The braided, red hair women voiced her own opinion while slightly raising her glasses, causing the sun to glint off it. She wore the same attire as the other girls and possessed a figure that comparable to the one called Kazehana. She doesn't seem to be the combat type compared to the rest so she must be the sekirei that gained the information.

"It doesn't matter and he will die like the rest," The one who destroyed the navy spoke up with a voice that held authority. She wore an outfit that the other girls wore but had long purple hair that was short on the sides of her head and carrying a nodachi. She has intense brown eyes that carried a strong resolution and had a slender figure that was even better than Kazehana.

She was the one I am going to have the most trouble dealing with.

"Ho? While it is true that the age of gods ended long ago, it does not mean it cannot happen again and miracles _are_ the result of a God taking favor in one person. How can you explain why they cannot be explained through scientific means?" The older man from before voiced his response to my declaration in a mocking tone. He wore a white suit and had a white cape that went from the ankles of his legs to a little over his head. He wore square glasses with black lining and brown eyes that seemed to have a lot of desire in them.

I was opening my mouth to respond but closed it and could only tilt my in confusion head as I stared at the man. "Umm… Who are you? I get why everyone else is hear but you seem out of place. Are you one of those people that takes pleasure in cosplaying?"

The man could only face fault at that comment but quickly stood up looking somewhat irritated. Some of the women were giggling but the two men just snorted.

The purple-haired one showed no reaction. This is going to be tricky.

The white haired man spoke as if he was actually important "Haven't you watched the news, young man? I am Hiroto Minaka!" and then he struck a pose.

I could only blink and then smacked my fist against my palm like I had an idea. "Oh! So you're the porn star I've been hearing so much about. Sadly I am not into that stuff so you're going to have to advertise your videos elsewhere."

Most of the women were now laughing at this point and even the men were snickering at my comment.

I could only tilt my head in confusion. Was I wrong?

Minaka just gave me a blank stare while adjusting his glasses a bit.

Dang it I pissed off. This is the opposite of what I wanted to do.

He narrowed his eyes at me, "You are obviously not part of the invasion force but you are clearly here for a reason. Matsu!" The red haired girl who I am guessing is matsu stared at me as if trying to find out who I was from sight.

Good luck with that.

"First name: Zike. Last name: Unknown. Parents: Unknown. Birthday: Unknown. Age: Unknown. Nationality: Unknown. Occupation: International Mercenary. Origins: Unknown No other information is available on him except for one that stands out the most. _He has never failed a mission that has been assigned to him_. He has assassinated multiple people, some who had crimes placed on them and others who were completely innocent. He has been called both a hero and terrorist in some countries. Other information is either destroyed or erased from the records they originated from," Matsu furrowed her brow in frustration as she tried to gain more information on me.

Well crap. She can apparently access the internet anytime. Good thing I destroyed the important bits of info a few months ago. If she found that out this would have been in a worse predicament than my current one.

I shrugged. "I don't like to be called a hero or a terrorist. I am just a mercenary who accepts any job presented to me," commented on Matsu's bio of me.

"Which means you were hired by the invasion force to report any information back to them in case you found anything," The purple haired one spoke her theory on my current situation.

Shit they know. The fact that I have never failed a mission put them on guard and plus the fact I am here for surveillance means that I will deliver information about them to my clients without fail which further caused them to look at me with like I was a threat.

"… Would you believe me if I said was on a religious journey?"

"No"

I could only sigh and shrug at that. "Meh. Worth a shot"

Then the silver haired woman named Karasuba appeared in front of me before I could even look up and flashed her sword killing me in an instant.

Or would have if I was actually there.

Her sword flew through the air, not making any contact on my "body". It was actually a hologram that I received from a client after I worked for him. He was a skilled inventor and said I might use his invention some day and boy was he ever right. It projects a hologram of me from a transmitter to over 100 meters so as soon as I set it up, I hightailed out of the island with my team and did my supposed "confrontation" on the helicopter. Thank goodness that it has a microphone that only records a person's voice and not the surroundings.

Step 2 of My Master Plan: Don't Do Step 1. Worked like a charm and a good thing too. I noticed that some of the people were glaring at me with an intent to kill. You can't kill a hologram.

"I can't believe you guys fell it for that. You were expecting a fight to death weren't you? You should have realized that I never failed a mission because I don't play fair," My tone fell back to its lazy and bored state but sounded mocking to them, "I thought you guys were supposed to be good and you can't even identify if I am a hologram even though you have advanced technology. Tsk, Tsk, Tsk. You poor misguided people. Have a nice day. See you again," Then I closed the connection. Turning back to my teammates to realize they were laughing the whole time.

"Oi! Focus on flying. I want to report this mission as complete as soon as possible," I ordered and then sat back down in my seat to take a nap. We were kilometers away from Kamikura Island. Hundreds of people have died but they have been avenged in a way. It's been a long day and I am pretty sure the MBI will be after me now. Before I went to sleep, I thought about the purple haired sword user her allies.

At least I will not be involved with them again… oh who am I kidding. I am probably going to meet them again in a few years because these things always bites me in the back.

* * *

The end did not end up how I wanted to but what is done is done.


	2. Past: Act 1-2

_The drops of water that soaked my body and pain that would seemingly last for all eternity was all I could feel at the moment._

_My eyes were unfocused and staring off into the dark clouded sky that never seemed to end. The mud on my face and back were starting to weigh me down closer to the Earth as if I was a part of it. My hands were open facing up in the same direction my gaze was and my legs slightly spread apart. I no longer wore the white hooded trench coat that was always on my back no matter where I go or the plain black t-shirt or grey jeans. I wore a black uniform that seemed comparable to a ninja if you thought looked at it yet lacking any type of mask that usually appears on them. _

_I achieved victory but I achieved defeat. I protected but I destroyed. I gained but I lost._

_Surrounded around me were various tools of destruction that to a common viewer might raise an eyebrow. There were weapons from the past, present, and future ranging from a common a poorly crafted sword to a high tech light saber. A dark wooden bow to a small gun that although was so small that it barely filled the palm of your hand, caused enough destruction to disintegrate a tiny building._

_Time does not register in place. It was a battlefield that has reached its end after years of combat._

_And I was the only one that survived._

_If one viewed my body, it would show him that there was not a scratch on my body or no sign of tear on my clothes despite my current location. I would not be surprised. The battle ended years ago and the injuries I sustained has already healed to where there was no sign of an injury in the first place. My clothes were special in a way that repaired itself after a week or two if no further damage was inflicted on it. Whether it was made by science in the distant future or magic in the ancient past was question that would never be answered. I still could not move despite all of this but I knew the reason for this._

_I was broken not in the physically but mentally_

_After fighting for so long, for many different people with different dreams and goals, different likes and dislikes, different ages and genders, I could no longer will myself to move. I had a goal and to some, it would have been surprising. Usually people think of me as having no interests or goals, due to always working for clients no matter what they wanted or desired nor how many lives would be taken or saved in the process. My goal was once in my reach, almost able to grab with my hands covered with the blood of the guilty and innocent but it was gone._

_I destroyed it with my own hands and it was impossible that I would ever be able to make the same progress as I did before._

_It was the only time I ever felt regret._

_My right hand slowly started to rise despite my lack of strength and tried to grasp the sky. It seemed like a cry for help that will never be answered or a futile attempt to try and once again reach my goal. I muttered the only words I ever said since the battle ended and it contained all my pain. All my regret. All my hate. All my sorrow. All my despair. All my wrath. All my coldness. It were words that never reached anyone's ears in all of my life. It was the first time I ever uttered them. _

"_I…guess I… can't…finish it… its fine… this way"_

_My hand descended back towards the ground and my body prepared to once again, fight for different people and their beliefs no matter what they were._

_The time for regret is over. It was time to get back to work._

_I never noticed the figure that was watching me the whole time._

* * *

I blinked as my lazy, half-lidded eyes went back into focus.

"Fell asleep there for a second"

"Mmmphhh!?"

"I know. Strange right? Usually that doesn't happen. Must be the lack of sleep."

"Mmmpphh?!"

"Glad we could agree on the same thing"

"Mmmphhh!?"

"No you cannot get a lollipop. You'll get cavities you fat greedy pig"

"Mmmphhhh!?"

"I don't care if cry about it. You're not getting anything until you finish your homework"

"MMPGHH!?"

"Good luck with that," the clearly one sided conversation ended as I turned back focus on my current assignment.

Still wearing the same white hooded trench coat that covered the sides of my chest and grey jeans with a black, plain long-sleeved t-shirt, I yawned as it was very late at night. I still had the same young face that did not show a day of age or difference from 16 or 18 and the same one-strapped backpack. I did not grow in height over the years which I do not care about even though I continuously tell myself that size doesn't matter. My brown eyes still had the same lazy and bored look with no sign of bags under them.

It was 2 years after the events of Kamikura Island in 2000 and things were back to normal in my perspective anyway.

I never had any more encounters with the strange beings or even the MBI on that matter which was fine with me. After the assignment was accomplished and reported, I disappeared from my clients to work for another who needed my assistance around the world as I disliked working for the people continuously. There were no more news that about Kamikura island except that there were apparently more military forces sent to its direction. There must have been more people wanting to discover what made the MBI so powerful. I doubt they survived their encounter though and other people thought so too as news about them soon died down and disappeared completely. Meanwhile, I was once again was involved in many different and unique matters that involved many lives lost and saved for a person's beliefs and almost getting killed in the process.

Like currently setting up timed explosives in a warehouse filled with various medical drugs. Oh and there was a fat man strapped to a chair behind me too, mumbling with his mouth covered in duct tape, trying to get out of the rope I tied him with.

He must really want that lollipop.

As I was busy setting up my fifth charge of explosives, I thought about my current assignment. I was once again requested by a client who worked for some wealthy and powerful company to destroy the competition. I was assigned to kill the boss of the enemy company and all of their goods which future products which were conveniently all in this warehouse. The boss of the company was apparently selling both illegal and legal drugs and to criminals so the client wanted them gone for the "good of the innocent". I knew it was complete bull but I was paid so it doesn't matter. I looked around as I finished setting up my tenth and last charge and noted that the warehouse looked brand new. A shame it was about to be in flames. I was originally planning to just kill the boss of the company and just destroy the drugs with no one else dying in the process but apparently he set up a security system that alerted everyone when he was killed which would make my escape more annoying.

So I just decided to just tie him to a chair in his office and tape his mouth while destroying the building with him in it, killing most of his workers along with the drugs.

I am not lazy, I am thorough. It is a way better excuse.

As I was leaving the office the man fell on the chair along with his chair, crying tears of fear and panic as if I would be merciful and let him go. I did not even turn back to look at him as I closed the door, sealing his fate. As I walked toward the exit, the workers in the warehouse were continuing to do their jobs like taking inventory or researching drugs. They were avoiding eye contact with me because I entered with a fake I.D and declared myself an inspector. Apparently they were involved with the illegal drugs too and if I was suspicious, I would supposedly find out their secret. Then again, there may be people unaware of the illegal actions taking place. When I set up the explosives around the building, I explained that they were new and improved smoke detectors.

They fell for it so perfectly that I could only shake my head. How could you not get suspicious at a person setting up "smoke detectors" claiming to be an inspector? It just shows that these people did not know what they involved themselves but it was too late to correct their mistakes.

I left the building without turning back to look at the people who were about to lose their lives.

* * *

My cellphone was ringing as I was a few meters in front of the warehouse. The warehouse was located in a non-populated part of Shintō Teito, the southern part I believe, so no other people would be injured or killed in the process. It was about an hour from midnight with the sky clouded with rain clouds. The surrounding buildings showed no signs of life which means everyone must have went home. As I picked out my phone from my pocket, I shivered at the cold unforgiving wind that blew against my coat and skin. It was spring but it was still a little chilly outside.

Looking at the caller I.D, I could only sigh in irritation as I placed the phone on my ear.

"Hello?" Lazily speaking into the phone, I started to walk away and rub my hands for heat.

"_WOOF WOOF!_ _BACK YOU BEAST. I SAID BA- GOD DAMN IT! MY LEG. I HAVE RABIES NOW!" _ What sounded like a dog's barking and a young man's voice, sounded in my ear.

"Good evening Usagi. Are you starting to learn responsibility now?"

After a few sounds of crashing, I heard a dog's whimper and a door slamming as raspy breathing and shouting came from the speaker. _"FUCK YOU. IS THIS YOUR IDEA OF TRAINING ME? MAKING ME TAKE CARE OF 3 WILD DOGS?"_

Yes. Yes it was. "You need to be able to figure out how to deal with wild animals. What better than three wild dogs?" Actually I could think of a lot of things better but he is not ready for that yet. Both physically and mentally. "Now hurry up and pick me up."

After the events of Kamikura Island, Usagi resigned from his military which was not surprising considering what happened. After he experienced what the battlefield was really like, he left it with the intention of never coming back to never experience that horror and helplessness ever again.

Which was why he came to me and asked me to train him to be a, and I quote "Mega-Ultra Badass Playboy"…

I could only palm my face as I recalled the matter.

"_What makes you think I can turn you into a Mega-Ultra Badass Playboy?"_

"_Because you're a dick"_

_I then proceeded to kick him in the crotch out of annoyance. While he was wheezing on the ground in pain he spoke his real reason._

"_I don't want to be weak, helpless and panic anymore. If I have to ask a person like you to train me to do it, I will cry and beg for you to train me."_

_My eyes narrowed at his answer but then ceased that and started walking away from him. "Even if I could train you, I would not because I have nothing to gain from it."_

_*Bang*. I turned around and found Usagi on the ground with his messy black hair and face planted in the ground in a begging position._

"_Then I'll give you my life. I got nothing else to lose" He said without hesitation_

"…" Clenching my fist as I recalled that answer I couldn't help but frown. His request and answer was so similar to _him_. I shook my head as I cleared the memories from my head. After that matter I then started teaching him the most important aspect to not being helpless and weak that still to this day, is still learning.

How to be prepared to die for your cause. If you're not prepared die for your beliefs, you should not even be on the battlefield.

Which was why I made him take care of three wild dogs at the moment. I planned to do something more extreme but a client asked us to take care of the hounds while he was away so why not use the excuse of training to make him do it and get profit at the same time? He did not know it was a job but I was still planning to give him half the money anyway.

"_Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. Hey did you get the news? I heard the MBI was planning to build their headquarters in Shinto Teito"_

No. I did not and I didn't really care that much. Usagi kept tabs on the MBI and reported it to me to see if there was anything suspicious on their actions. While it was admirable for him to be so dedicated to it and while I admit that I was also a bit curious, I really did not need to hear everything they do.

"And you called me just for this?" Annoyed that he called me just let me know where they were moving.

"_Actually I called you for a different matter,"_ His voice soon got serious and I raised an eyebrow at the change. _"You know the client you worked for at the mission at Kamikura Island?"_

Of course I did. It isn't hard to forget super powered beings destroying an invasion force. "What about it?"

"_Well apparently his boss took a long time to find one of your phone numbers and demanded that you send him the information you gained from the island to him because he didn't receive it,"_ Sounding irritated. The boss must have called Usagi during a bad time or he must be angry that he got a call from someone that, basically, nearly sent him to his death. I always change my phones so no one could use it to track me down and try to kill me and to prevent clients that I work for to request another job.

Sighing and scratching my head I recalled how my job ended. To make sure that no one else knew what happened or what was on Kamikura Island, my client's boss sent him to me so I could report what I found. My client would then go to his boss and report it to him to avoid any hackers or spies tapping into messages or phone calls. In this day of technology when anything could be monitored, it wasn't a too bad idea.

"Well tell him he should have gotten the information from my client. If he forgot, his boss should take better care of his men"

"_That's the thing. The client did not make it to his boss at all. Apparently a report says that he was killed by some serial killer with a sword."_

"Well tough luck. My job was to report it to his client not to him. I am not going to waste my money to travel just to exchange some words." Once my job is over, it's over. I do not like to look back at things I did in the past since there are too many to count.

"…_So can I be dick to him and then tell him to fuck off" _

"Knock yourself out"

"_This is going to be fun a night."_ I heard giggling him the in the speakers. I didn't remind him that the person he was going to provoke was a military leader. Not my fault if he sends men after him.

If he ever asks why I didn't tell him, I'll just use the excuse that it was for training.

"_So anyway, did you finish your job? The people in this town must really not like the drugs they sell in this town."_ He was referring to my continuous assignments of destroying pharmaceutical companies in Shinto Teito. Over the past month, I have been hired by my clients to destroy the pharmaceutical companies in the city including the one I just setting up explosives for. Currently the number of them destroyed is five. It was probably some coordinated drug lords trying to gain profit.

Before I could reply, a bell sound came from my phone and I looked at my phone telling me of a news alert happening in the city. Whenever I work in a city or town, I always make sure to receive news from it to make sure I can complete my job as smoothly as possible. If a bank was being robbed and I was about to kill someone while I was in said bank, it would have been annoying.

"_People are ordered to stay indoors. We have heard from the MBI that terrorists have been spotted within Shinto Teito. " _

_I heard the MBI was planning to build their headquarters in Shinto Teito_

I froze.

… Wait a second.

There were no sounds of cars and it's too quiet outside. I noted that I haven't seen a single car on the street ever since I left the warehouse. Sure they might have gotten the news alert but it would have taken time for them to get to their homes.

"_Oh hey! I just got a new status update on the MBI," _Usagi couldn't hear what was on my phone and he was talking at the same time as the news report was playing.

_Well apparently his boss took a long time to find one of your phone numbers and demanded that you send him the information you gained from the island to him because he didn't receive it._

If the client was killed before he reached his superior, that means the person who killed him must have also known that he obtained information on Kamikura.

"_The terrorist has attacked multiple pharmaceutical and is planning to start planning to start terrorizing citizens according to the information."_

_That's the thing. The client did not make it to his boss at all. _

If the client did not make it to his boss than that means only me, Usagi and the two pilots are the only ones who knows what happened on Kamikura Island

"_Apparently the MBI became a pharmaceutical company as of today" _

After a day few days of returning from Kamikura, I learned that they were murdered but I did not pay attention much to it since we were no longer a team.

_Apparently a report says that he was killed_

That means only me and Usagi knows what happened on Kamikura and I am currently in a nearly deserted area of Shinto Teito with Usagi heading to my location. I gave him the location I was in before I set up the explosives so he can pick me up as soon as I called.

"_The MBI has declared it will take action against the terrorist since they have the most information about them and has been given approval by the city to do whatever is necessary to stop these threats. Please stay indoors so you will be involved and harmed in the process." _

Doesn't that mean no one will get involved or even see what was happening on the streets since they will be afraid to go outside? Doesn't it mean the MBI can do whatever they want without fear of witnesses or harming pedestrians?

I faintly recalled one thing about the two pilot's deaths.

_By some serial killer with a sword_

They were both identified to be murdered with a sword.

_Swords that the aliens on Kamikura were using to destroy the invasion force._

… Ah crap.

"_Hey why are there no cars outside?"_

"… Usagi. How far away are you right now?" My voice held no emotion as I asked the question.

"_I'm about twenty minutes away. Why?" _His voice carried confusion as I asked behind me. That means twenty minutes until he is in the same location I am. A location away from the public eye.

I heard two pairs of footsteps behind me breaking the silence in the dark night. "Usagi. Ignore the speed limits and drive as fast as you can."

"Sure but why do you wa-," I hung up the phone before he can finish what he was trying to say. There was no time for an explanation.

If I wasted another second, we would both be dead before the end of the night. A switch flipped inside me and I no longer had the lazy and bored expression on my face. I was no longer Zike.

I am now Zike the mercenary who experienced and survived countless battles and situations.

As I turned around to face my would-be opponents, I noticed that I was right with my guess and recognized one of the figures right away. I focused on her only and did not take my eyes off her for a second. She was the one of the most dangerous of the five who completely obliterated the invasion force on Kamikura Island. The one who slaughtered the men on Kamikura with a grin on her face and carried with her an aura of bloodlust. The one who would have killed me instantly had I stood before her at the time.

Karasuba

She walked toward me with a smile on her face with her eyes crinkled with bags under her eyes. It looked like she hasn't aged a bit. It looks like whatever alien she was did not age as much as humans do. I could feel the bloodlust radiating from her almost to the point where it was hard to breathe. The bloodlust has increased since the last time I saw her on Kamikura. Bloodlust can only increase after a person has been on the battlefield enough times to love the rush they feel when they spilled blood.

And I get the feeling that she really wants my blood. I quickly moved my eyes toward the other figure, planning to do a quick glance and identify her before returning my focus back to karasuba.

One of my eyebrows raised as I identified the other figure next to karasuba. I could only sigh and scratch my head as I recognized her.

Out of all the people the MBI assigned to kill me, out of all the aliens that were under their control, why did it have to be her?

* * *

_2 Years Ago. 8 months after the invasion of Kamikura_

Usagi I am going to make sure I punish you severely… as soon as I can find out where you ran away.

I was pissed. I was absolutely and extremely pissed. I usually kept myself calm at all times but I could not help but be pissed at the spineless bastard who ran away before I could get my hands on him. I would have hit myself for the use of language but that was not my concern at the moment.

Usagi spent all my money that I gained from my last job and when I mean all of it I mean _ALL OF IT_.

The money I requested from the jobs I did was structured to take a significant amount suited for my client. If it was a child who barely had a dollar, it would be 40 cents. If it was a billionaire, it was two billion. I am not being greedy but reasonable. I completed my assignments without failure no matter what it was. It could be bringing a letter to a girl next door to destroying an entire city with everyone in it. I will not allow people to carelessly use my abilities and not expect to lose anything significant. My last job was to kill all the assassins that were trying to kill a billionaire and their organization. Turns out they were magic using assassins and specialized in combat and most annoyingly hiding. It took me a six months to find out how they worked and where they were, only to find out that they were an international organization that was situated across the world.

After months of injuries and frustration, I finally destroyed their organization and to my embarrassment, IT WAS GLORIOUS. I never felt so relieved as I killed the last assassin that belong to them and got a pay of five billion dollars for all my trouble.

Five billion dollars that was spent before I could even claim it.

When I killed the last one, I sent Usagi, at the same time, to meet with my client and get the money as soon as possible. I wanted to be done with this long, frustrating mission as soon as I can but in my exhaustion with it I made one mistake. One mistake that I should not have made no matter what state I was in or how I was feeling. I made _Usagi_ get the money. He then spent it on a private island and hired woman to there so no matter where he went, there was nothing but beautiful women ready to have sex with him.

He felt heaven… then felt hell as his island was broadcasted on TV. He fled the island as soon as it broadcasted.

If there was one thing Usagi learned when I was training him, it was not to mess with my money. It was one of the only things I ever took seriously and if people interfered with or even stole the money _I worked for_, death would be the only punishment. Since Usagi is an ally to me, I will not kill him.

Killing him would be too merciful.

As soon as I discovered what he did, I flew to the island and tried to hunt him down only to discover he was no longer there. I should note that the women tried to approach and have sex with me but passed out as my attention was turned to them.

It should be repeated that I was _really pissed off_.

I found out he traveled to Shinto Teito and quickly arrived here and found that he was in the northern section of it. It was a few hours after sunset and it was a full moon with no clouds in the sky. I calmed down after the flight and was now calmly looking for Usagi to inflict punishment that a person should never experience. I was in a park where I heard from people strange noises sounding like "GOD PLEASE HELP ME" while simultaneously crying.

God can't save him and he knows it. As I was walking through the park I stopped as I sensed something that a normal person shouldn't sense.

Unnatural power

Finding Usagi can wait. I quickly scanned the area, looking past every bush and tree and noticing that people were avoiding a particular area. I narrowed my eyes and found a figure that looked to be female sitting on the bench. Normally I ignored these things and went about my business but I strangely found myself walking towards her. It was as if I needed, no, _must_ see who was on that bench.

I really hoped it was Usagi who somehow gained power and would try to fight me so I would have an excuse to "accidentally" kill him. I realized it was not the case as I identified that the figure was _not human_ but that was the least of my concern right now.

As I approached the figure, I could start to make out her features. She looked to be wearing some sort of lab coat and with nothing else. Possessing a body that may have had men fighting for each other for, her skin was creamy white that shined in the moonlight with not too large but also not too small breasts. Acorn brown hair with a pony tail covered her head and a face that looked like it belonged to a model was relaxed. Her gentle hands were on her shoulders, crisscrossed as she protected herself from the cold and tried to comfort herself. As soon as I looked at her eyes, my eyes narrowed and my teeth clenched. I know those eyes. It was the same eyes I possessed that I showed a long time ago but hid perfectly now.

_It was the eyes of a person who has failed her goal and could never try to reach it again_.

At this point, I was standing in front of her with my white trench coat blowing in the wind. I looked around and noted that people were no longer in the area. It seemed that they did not want to be anywhere near anything that might cause trouble. As I pondered what to do in this situation, I heard a sniffle.

Tears. Tears of pain and agony were streaming down her face and she was biting her lip.

I could only sigh and scratch my head as I looked down on her form. She had not noticed me and ignored the world around her as she continued to cry as if to relieve herself of this pain. Gritting her teeth, she voiced words that carried agony and sorrow.

"What should… I do… I… I am broken…can no longer be winged… what do… I do… what… _can _I do?"

I closed my eyes and crouched down so that my face was at the same height as her. I patted her head and opened my eyes, showing a resolution for what I was going to do and I said one word. The soft voice that came out was unlike any tone I spoke in a long time.

"_Live_"

She looked up and stared in to my eyes as I said that one word, her face showing confusion yet her eyes looking empty but curious at my one word. As the moonlight shined down on us.

I stood up and put my hands in my pocket as I started walking away and out of the park leaving the woman behind. I finished what I needed to do and was heading back to my apartment, and wondered one thing.

_Why did I say that to her?_

* * *

My apartment was a small one and none to extravagant despite how much money I possessed. It did not look brand new but did not look run down either. If someone had to describe it, they would say that it looked ordinary. I was planning to stay in Shin Teito for a bit after I found Usagi and work for some clients but I was not in the mood at the moment. Taking out a key, I opened the door to my apartment and walked in, letting the door close by itself. My room had room for a futon, a table in the center, a bathroom, and kitchen with a sink with a refrigerator. There was nothing else that I needed to have except the backpack that I carried.

Before I moved any further into my room I quickly reached into my backpack and quickly took out a pistol with speed that would make an experienced soldier blink and turned around, pointing it at the figure behind me.

It was the woman who was on the bench.

I knew she was following me as soon as I left the park and wondered if she was possibly trying to kill me. You can call me paranoid but after taking a lot of odd and unique jobs and meeting various kinds of people, you would do the same. I let her follow me, so we could be in this room alone and allow her to try and kill me away from public eyes.

Key word, _Try_.

As I was about to pull the trigger, ending her life, she spoke to me, her voice filled with sorrow and her eyes empty.

"…Why?"

"Ah?" I raised an eyebrow, momentarily stopping in my attempt to end her life.

"…Why… no… how do I live?" She ignored the gun pointed to her head as her eyes changed from emptiness to curiosity.

I narrowed my eyes at her as I contemplated the situation. She was not trying to kill me or rob me I reasoned out. If she was, she would have done so as soon as I entered the apartment. It was possible she was faking and trying to kill me when I let my guard down… like that will ever happen. I decided to answer her question to try and figure her out.

"Why are you asking me this? Surely, you could have someone else that question." Then they would probably try to take her to the police and figure out her situation. I recalled what occurred in the park and noticed one thing.

"I was the first person you met who wasn't afraid of you… wasn't I?"

She slowly nodded and continued to stare into my eyes. Freaking fearlessness. Look what you caused now.

We stood there staring at each other for what seemed like hours with eyes staring into each other and a gun raised that would cause death in an instant. I finally dropped my arm and put my pistol back into my backpack as I sighed. There was no need for unnecessary violence or waste a bullet when it could be put to better use. I walked into a kitchen and took out some ingredients from the pantry, the woman's eyes following me the whole time. I quickly whipped up some ramen with a few bits of seasoning made for two people. It would be uncomfortable to eat alone while the woman was in my home. I picked up a couple of chopsticks and placed them on top of the bowls and walked over to the women. She had not moved from the spot she entered my home in. I lifted the bowl in front of her and said one word sharply.

"_Eat_"

It took a few seconds for her to register what I said but she took the bowl from my grasp, being careful to not touch my hand and grabbed the chopsticks. She then slowly pinched a bundle of noodles and opened her mouth wide to take a huge bite slowly. She chewed for a few seconds with her face showing no emotion.

Then she spit it in my face.

"…" I could only stand there and try not to react in any way. Having boiling water thrown on your face was not a pleasant feeling and it was taking all the strength I did not to show any signs of pain or emotion. The naked woman's eyes showed a faint sign of fear and apology but her body tensed as I moved my arm. I picked up my own chopsticks and took a bite out of my own bowl.

Then I spit in her face.

What the hell?! The food tasted terrible! I may not be the best of cooks and could not make a professional dish but I'm not that bad. But then I remembered something.

"Ah… I forgot. I don't know how to cook." The woman showed no reaction but could only tilt her head and look at me with empty eyes while still holding her own bowl as if saying "Are you an idiot?"

I blushed and scratched my cheek with my finger while looking away from the woman. I thought cooking was easy and anyone could do it! When I saw people cook, they claimed it was the first or second time they did and made great food. I thought I could be like them!

A few seconds passed and the brown haired woman, showing no emotion, moved her arm toward me and I tensed, ready to strike. I will not let her take advantage of my blunder if I have anything to say about it!

I blinked as I realized she was reaching toward my bowl and walked toward the kitchen.

And dumped the food I cooked down the sink with that annoying, emotionless face.

I could only gape at her in disbelief as she did it showing no emotion at all. My first dish that I ever made. Thrown down the sink with no one caring at all. Was that how people felt when I was around them? I continued to gape at her as she attempted to attempt to make her own dish, moving with what seemed like relaxed and careful ease. It seemed as if she knew exactly what to do, her naked body calmly making food and if someone had to describe it, it would be like a professional making food as if it was his life's duty. After she finished, she walked over to me, picking up the bowls and handing one to me as she once again started staring back into my eyes.

They no longer showed no emotion yet they were like the eyes of a child asking if they did a good job.

I looked at the woman then to the food then back to the woman. I pointed at the food then back to myself. She nodded at my silent question. I sighed and picked with my chopsticks still in my hand, prepared to grab a bundle of noodles.

Only to stop halfway when the woman was copying my exact movements. I narrowed my eyes at her but she only tilted her head, as if wondering why I stopped yet still staring into my own eyes. I slowly continued my previous action of picking up the noodles, the woman copying my every movement and we both placed it in our mouths and chewed slowly.

Then we spitted at each other's faces.

This was even worse than my attempt at cooking! Was she trying to see if she could do a better than me job if she did it, while acting like a professional! This woman is irritating!

It was a strange sight. Both of our faces were covered with saliva and ramen with our mouths slightly hanging open with noodles in on our lips as if we refused to eat it lest we get our faces dirty again and covered with food.

"…"

"…"

_GRROOOWWLLL_. We both blinked as the room shook, coming from the brown-haired woman's stomach demanding food. It sounded like a car's motor and I could not help but wonder how the heck a stomach sounded like that. We stared at each other in the eyes then blinked again.

"… Let's just order take-out" I decided, still covered with boiling water and noodles.

The naked woman looking in the same state as me, blushed and scratched her cheek with her eyes closed, looking embarrassed. She nodded, agreeing with my decision.

* * *

It was midnight by the time take-out came and I ordered a lot of food. I figured that the woman was hungry since her stomach caused a mini-earthquake. I don't know how much this person ate considering that she was not human but observing the situation, I could be sure of one thing.

It wasn't enough.

She started tearing through the food as soon as it was on the table taking large bites and stuffing it in her mouth at a quick pace. She already finished seven bowls of the stuff. As I stared at her with a face of disbelief at the act with chopsticks and my own box of food, for an instant, her hand blurred and in her hand was another box of food.

I turned my head and found my box of food gone. What the heck! Forget how fast she was, she took my food! I'm hungry too!

After she finished eating her eighth box we both froze as we noticed something.

_There was only one box left full of food_.

The room was filled with silence as tension was present in the atmosphere. Both of our eyes were locked on each other, emotionless as we tried to figure out the other's actions. In a blur the naked woman moved her hand in a blur toward the box of food, her eyes looking at it filled with certain victory.

_CLACK_

Only to be filled with surprised as she was stopped half through her attempt as her chopsticks met another pair of the wooden sticks. She looked up and stared into my eyes to find an eyebrow raised at her with a lazy expression saying, "Did you really think it would be that easy?" As we both did not move a muscle, we carefully planned our next actions.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…HEY WHATS THAT OVER THERE!" I pointed behind the brown haired woman and she turned her head quickly in the direction I pointed.

She fell for it. What a sucker.

I quickly grabbed my spoils of victory and prepared to take a bite. Before one the boxes that was filled with food minutes ago covered my face, blocking my attempt to fill the void in my stomach. Now that's just playing dirty. Before my hand could be deprived of the box of food once more, I threw the box in the air to prevent the naked woman from taking my only source of nourishment. My now empty hand felt a small gust of air and heat as the woman's hand passed over mine. As the box on my face fell, my vision returning, I found the woman poised to jump toward the food, as if it was a football.

Oh no you don't. Making a split second decision I flicked my wrist, throwing chopsticks above the woman and she jumped right into the accelerating brown sticks, making her flinch. The box descended toward the ground and was preparing to descend into my waiting palm. It landed but before I could react, the woman tackled into me, trying to stop me cruelly trying to take a bite of the food.

I landed on my back with my hand holding my box and my other hand on the woman's face, preventing her from grabbing it. The brown-haired woman was now on top of me, one of her hands on my face as if to stop me from hampering her progress with the other hand reaching for the box. Both of our faces showed intense signs of struggle but the woman was quickly gaining the upper hand due to her being slightly taller than me. She shifted her hand down on my face and received the box, shouting a cry of victory.

She froze a second later, quickly realizing that her hand was no longer on my face.

It was on my throat and I was quickly being suffocated. I found that if she applied even a little bit more of strength, it would have crushed my wind pipe and killed me. If it was anyone else than me, it would have killed them instantly. One of the things you must always do before you enter any kind of battle was to train your body. If you entered it with a weak one, you could die with a simple punch to the stomach and die from internal bleeding and a lack of blood supply to the organs.

The brown haired woman, eyes filled with horror and fear, let go of the box containing food sat up from her position on top of me and sat on her knees in front of me. Her hands were clenched on her lap and her head cast down, eyes covered with her hair. Her eyes were wide open, facing toward the ground with horror and regret in them.

As I coughed and tried regained my breathing, she flinched, as if expecting punishment to be inflicted on her at because of her misbehavior. Her expression was scrunched up and her body tensed, eyes closed, waiting for the blow.

Only to find her mouth suddenly filled with food. She opened her eyes with confusion and found me looking away from her, eyes closed and showing no sign of strife, with my hand wielding chopsticks in front of her mouth.

"If you wanted the food that badly, you could have just said so," Raising an eyelid halfway toward her with the same lazy and bored expression with a frown on my face.

It took a few seconds for her to realize that I was fine.

Tears then filled her eyes and she slowly chewed the food, eyes closed, though it showed signs of struggle due to the sniffs she was causing. Her body looked relieved and she slowly started to relax now that the tense moment has passed.

I took this moment to gather my thoughts.

_This woman is dangerous._

All the things I did before were a way to analyze the woman. When she was eating those boxes of food before, I carefully watched her muscles and how she ate. It seemed that she possessed the same structure of humans and what looked to be the muscles. _Meaning she can be killed like a human_. Then again, I haven't tried but I was mostly sure of this. The event of the food fight was to see if I stood a chance against her, and to my relief, I could.

After surviving many battles, I learned how to read muscles before they acted to a frightening degree. If I saw the muscle move even a few centimeters, I could predict where my opponent will move his body. It took many years and practice to refine it but it was my only way surviving in my profession. Opponents that moved too fast and strong would kill me instantly so to make sure I had a chance, I practiced the skill so I can react before they can even move. It has saved my life countless times and allowed me to fight even the strongest and fastest of enemies. The fact that I stopped the brown haired woman's chopsticks despite her inhuman speed proves that.

She appears to have the same weight but I noticed four things that made her different from a human. The first thing was pretty obvious. She possessed super strength that would probably take a lifetime for a human to achieve. She broke a few of my ribs when she tackled me, which I hid from her perfectly, and almost crushed my throat. I successfully hid that I was injured in anyway despite my chest feeling pain. The second thing was her speed. Even if a normal human could be the fastest human in the world, the muscles in the body would probably break down due to constant stress and tension, causing them to be destroyed. Yet the woman's body showed no sign of any strain or tension which means her strength and speed were natural. The third thing was her aura was held an air of intense, overwhelming power. Now that I was closer, it felt like the aura had intense heat for some reason. That narrowed down my guesses on her powers to either to control fire or to fire intense light or even both. It could be something a little more complicated but I needed to see her powers to make a conclusion. After facing many opponents and experiencing countless auras that surrounded them, I could identify what it possessed and the opponent's abilities and personalities.

The fourth thing was the most important one and if I would have to kill her, I would aim for this thing.

It was the irregular part in the center of her upper chest area.

I noticed that the muscles in her body was connected to that particular area and where I felt her aura the strongest. It seemed irregular to be in that part of the body but at the same time, natural. If I had to guess, it was where she possessed most of her inhuman abilities and possible powers. Questions were going through my head quickly about it.

How hard was it? Can it be destroyed? Was it possible to transplant it in another person to give him or her the same abilities? What made it work? What was it made of? Was it acquired or was it innate?

I sighed. It was pointless to think of these questions unless I could see the woman fight or brutally obtain her core by ripping it out of her chest, causing intense blood lost and pain to obtain and study it.

I thought about it and quickly decided not to. The blood would have spilled over the floor and it was going to be annoying to clean it up. I also took into account that she would probably fight back before I killed. When I said the woman was dangerous, I meant entirely in the physical aspect. In the mental aspect, I was entirely sure of one thing and noticed it before the event with the food occurred.

The woman was an airhead. She was absolutely an airhead.

It could have been that she was faking it but after analyzing her aura while she performed different actions, I realized that this was not the case. I could only sigh as I realized this. It was annoying to deal with airheads as they sometimes ignore what was happening around them. It was like they could focus on only one thing yet somehow mess that up. The fact that the woman… was… naked….

I blinked. Ah! I forgot that she was naked. I was too busy analyzing her to notice.

I noted that her nipples were still at the breasts like a human and slowly cast my gaze toward her crotch before stopping myself. No. I am not a person who is interested in that stuff. But what if there was some type of irregularity to it that I didn't realized? What if it was the most dangerous aspect of her and could displayed an ability like shooting lasers or controlling gravity from it.

As I struggled to not commit the act, my gaze was turned back to the woman's face as my hands were no longer moving due to her chewing. I looked at her and noticed that her face was tired, showing signs of sleep. I yawned and quickly decided it was time for bed and placed the food away. "You can sleep on the futon," Lazily saying that, I moved toward the wall of my room and sat against it with my back against the wall. I propped my right knee up and rested my arm on it and closed my eyes. I did not find any ill intent from her so it was fine to sleep with her in my room. After a few seconds later, I heard movement. I ignored it and tried to go back to sleep.

I tensed as an object of warmth leaned against my body.

I opened an eyelid and found the naked woman fast asleep with her head on my shoulder. I noted that her face was now relaxed and noted that it showed it was somehow at peace.

It was the first time she showed that face since I saw her.

"… How annoying," I closed my eyes and went to sleep.

After two hours, I woke up and left Shinto Teito, leaving her alone in the room. I felt no regret as I did so.

* * *

_Now_

I still felt no regret to this day of what I did to her. If it was a regular person, they would not have done the same thing I had done and would have been angry at what I did. I am not a regular person. I was woken up during my sleep and found that a client requested my services so I left her for my job as a mercenary.

It was as simple as that.

As I recognized her, I noted that she wore the same attire as karasuba. That means that she is the same species as her and I can use this to my advantage. She looked a bit older now and her body developed quite a bit over the years but I searched into her eyes.

They were filled with an emotion I could not identify and were staring into my own eyes. If she was angry or sad she didn't show it.

The blood lusting alien called Karasuba spoke after standing in front of me, at a distance where if she pulled her sword, it would not reach me unless she took ten steps if she was human. It would only take one step considering her abilities. Her smile was still present on her face like a predator and her eyes slightly opened a bit. "You caused me a lot of trouble back at Kamikura Island, Zike-chan." She spoke in a somewhat joyful tone but I knew better. She _really_ wanted to spill my blood.

I did leave the island mocking her and everyone she was with when she tried to kill me. I knew that was going to bite me in the back some day.

"Oh I can imagine." No I can't. Sucks to be her. "You failed in your task to kill me and the others so you must have gotten quite a scolding," I provoked her to see how she would react.

Her smile only widened and I was starting to sweat. Provoking her may not have been the best idea in this situation. "Quite a scolding indeed. Well, I did kill at least two of the four that I failed to kill on the Island. The MBI tried to find you and the other person that was with you but unfortunately some… complications occurred." Shrugging as if it did not really matter to her.

Complications? I blinked and realized something. The MBI should have found me as soon as I used any sort of technology by using that information alien yet that was not the case. That means that some of them must have deserted the MBI and I quickly thought of who left so I can discover how much danger I was in. The silver haired man, the woman named Kazehana, and the woman named Matsu, I know for sure left. They did not seem to be interested all that much with the invasion despite taking part in it. The purple haired woman on the other hand might have stayed but if she did, she would have been here since I was greatest threat at the moment. The MBI could easily kill Usagi with a simple bullet while he was not looking so I doubted they would waste sending her after him.

"Well complications happen to all of us. So to what do I owe my attention to be on you two? I am quite the busy man," I deliberetely said while quickly thinking how to get out of this situation.

"We were ordered to kill you," The brown haired woman apathetically said. Straight down to business huh? She was still showing an emotion I couldn't quite and her eyes were still on me.

"Well it is as number eight says Zike-chan, so please. Spark our interest and try to survive longer than the regular humans" Karasuba said while she put her hand on her katana. The other woman, whom I presumed to be number eight, also got into a position poised to strike at a moment's notice.

The air was tense as neither side showed any sign of movement. The wind was blowing and if a person viewed this situation, they would comment that it looked like some sort of Mexican showdown. They did not know of my abilities but I doubt that would stop them from trying to kill me. They would probably charge me as soon as I showed any sign of movement. It would only take a second or two with their inhuman abilities and I found myself stuck in a corner. Even if I could predict where they would go, that did not mean I could predict continuous actions with two people at the same time.

I currently had all my tools in my backpack. Two pistols with eight shots each, one charge of C-4, two flash bangs, two grenades, and a knife. It would take me three seconds to take out one of my weapons but that was too long. All they needed was a second or two to end my life and I still do not know number eight's abilities. The aura identified two years ago still had a strong heat to it but I could not tell if it was either fire or light. I grit my teeth. I don't know how her powers worked or how long it would take to activate them. Taking them head on was complete suicide but I was running out of options. This is the worst situation for me poss-

…Wait. Wasn't I doing something a minute ago?

_BOOM_

The warehouse exploded and intense heat burst from it. The sound pierced through the silent night and Karasuba and the other women covered their eyes and jumped back lest they be burned by the inferno. The wreckage from the now collapsed warehouse, flew up into the air at extremely high speeds on to plummet back down to the earth, killing anyone instantly if one was unfortunate enough. Burnt flesh drifted into the noses of those who were close to the site of the explosion as the flames incinerated the people inside. They died during the explosion and was spared from the blazes charring their bodies.

When the heat and flames finally died down, Karasuba and the other woman would look up only to find that I was no longer in front of them.

* * *

Heat resistant trench coats are so useful

The sewage system in Shinto Teito was like a maze due to how large the city was. It usually consisted of water flowing down through the middle while stone walkways were on either side of it in case repairs were needed. The space in the middle was wide enough to fit a tank and two people on either side of it while the walkways were only suited for one person. The ceiling was high enough for probably five men standing on top of each other. The smell was abominable as wastes of different kinds flowed through the currents but that was the least of my worries. There was hardly any light and pipes were running along the sides of the walkways and ceiling.

Water lapped at my feet as I ran through the sewage system, my grey pants getting wet and my hooded trench coat flowing in the air, unharmed. The water only reached up to just below the ankles As soon as I remembered that I had explosives rigged, I covered myself with the coat and lifted the cover to the sewage system just as the blast erupted. It was a good thing I was standing on top of the entrance to it when I left the warehouse. If I moved a second to late, I would have been crushed by the wreckage, marking my end that I caused. As I continued running down the system, I took out a pistol and checked the cartridge to see if it was in working order.

I was nowhere near safe yet. They would probably realized that I escaped through the sewage system in a few mi-

I ceased my thinking as light illuminated the area for a brief second and a booming sound erupted from the area I ran past. The earth slightly rumbled around me and I looked behind me to see that rubble fell into the water from the once sturdy ceiling. I looked back in front of me and ran faster.

Seconds I corrected. And one of them could fire lasers. That is just great.

_Splash_

A loud splash filled my ears and what sounded like water being thrust out filled the area. I did not even think about what to do next and lowered my body while still running. A hiss of a blade passed over my head, taking a few hairs off of my short hair as Karasuba tried to take my head clean off and was so close to my right side that we were almost touching. She was grinning as she turned her head to look at me in the eyes, her own eyes filled with glee.

I quickly thought through the situation. Muscles in her arm were preparing to move diagonally for a follow-up move and cut clean through my body with her inhuman strength. I quickly lowered my left hand and squirted the dirty water flowing through my feet into her face blinding her of her vision for a short time. She was forced to stop but her blade still descended toward me its speed lowered and its angle was altered significantly due to her lack of vision. It would take her about four seconds of wiping her eyes to retain her vision.

I could have shot Karasuba with the pistol in my right hand. I could have taken out her out swiftly but I did not.

_Splash_

Because that would leave me open to be killed by the other inhuman creature.

I quickly raised and twisted my body from its lowered its position and side-stepped with my right foot a few feet in front of Karasuba. A beam of light illuminated the sewers once again and heat started to sear the right side of my face. It would have killed and pierced through my head if I was a split-second too late. In the distance, I noted that number eight had her fist outstretched in a punching motion before she lowered her body and launched herself toward me like a rocket.

Four seconds until she reached me and two seconds until Karasuba regained her vision.

I quickly used my left hand to pull out a flash bang in three seconds, pulling the tab while doing so and closed so I wouldn't be blinded. A loud bang sounded and everyone near it lost their hearing and some of their balance. I twisted my body and opened my eyes to continue running. I was used to keeping my balance so it did not affect me much. I could hear Karasuba growl as she lost her vision the second time but noted that I did not hear a loud splash. It seems like she was used to keeping her balance.

Number eight instantly appeared right beside me with her fist cocked back and glowing with a bright light looking unaffected. Her emotionless eyes staring into mine with no sign of remorse

Dang it she blinked. She was aiming for my chest to make sure it was a sure hit.

The instant I saw her figure from the corner of my eye I lowered my body and stopped my feet my feet, allowing myself to glide through the water and under her fist. Her punch flew with brightness but there was no burst of light erupting from her fist like before. It seems she can manipulate her ability to either fire blasts or enhance her punches. Feeling a gust of scorching air felt on top of my head, I saw her right leg preparing to kick me into the walls of the sewer breaking my body in the process. I let my body fall into the water and let the deadly appendage passed over me in a blur leaving her open for an attack.

I planted my hands and pistol on the wet ground, curled my body and launched a foot aiming for her chin, only for her body to lean back from my attack and flip away to gain distance. I clicked teeth with my serious expression and allowed my body to flow with the attack to stand back up once again and face the brown haired woman once more.

Splashing filled my ears and I quickly back pedaled just as I saw silver haired creature jumped over number eight her sword attempting to cut me in half where I just was. I did not back away far enough due to the blood lusting creature's speed and I found that my chest now had a vertical wound that wasn't too deep for blood erupt but still caused a pain. I grit my teeth and Karasuba's smile grew even more savage now that she finally slashed her target. She landed on the ground in front of number eight who looked ready to charge back into the fight. With my back leaning still in the motion of backpedaling, I was seemingly open for the finishing blow to be struck. Despite the situation, I thought of one thing.

Check-

Slightly adjusting my wrist, I aimed the pistol in my right hand toward Karasuba who had her hands poised to cut through the bullet with her but that's what I wanted. I pulled the trigger and quickly adjusting my wrist, I pulled it again a split second later, backpedaling while doing so and reached into my backpack with my left hand to bring this fight to an end.

_Bang Bang_

_Clang Clang _"!"

"!" _Splash_

Karasuba was and number eight were unharmed. The katana cut through the first bullet cutting it in half and the remains to pierce through the walls of the sewage system. Still having her hands poised for the first bullet, she did not have time to adjust to where I shot my next bullet which was not aiming for her body.

It went toward the flat sided hilt of her sword. Precise accuracy was not a problem for me and if it was any less, I would have died long ago. The bullet caused her hand to make her sword move towards her due to the force and she swerved her body, the blade passing by her hissing in her ears. She adjusted but the deadly blade now quickly moved behind her back.

Right toward the brown haired woman. Seeing this, the emotionless woman stepped to the side, causing water to splash before her body was pierced by her ally's blade. I then threw my arm throwing an object in front of them.

Another flash bang.

With the explosive planning to rob them of their eyesight they quickly closed their eyes as the explosive sounding, a hot sensation present on any part of their unclothed skin, and opened them again.

Only to stare at a charge of C-4.

-Mate

When I was reaching into my backpack, I pulled two tools not one. Throwing the flash bang, I threw the C-4 as soon as the sound of the explosive reached my ears. Back-pedaling during the whole action, I was now at a safe distance to trigger the explosive and end the fight with the blood of my opponents brutally smeared on the wall. They were running away in the opposite direction of the explosive as soon they opened their eyes.

_BOOOOOOM_

The earth around me trembled once more as the ceiling caved in on itself making the street fall into the sewage system. Two cars descended due to the explosion and blocked the passage way leading to me, encased with dense concrete. I was already half way up a ladder leading back to the surface at this time, moving as soon as I pulled the trigger and already placed my pistol back in my backpack. I doubt that the one called number eight and Karasuba were harmed due to their human speed but I gained time to gain distance from them and that was all I needed. They are probably expecting me to still be within the tunnel was they cleared the wreckage, ready for another confrontation.

Yeah… no. I had to deal with the wound on my chest before it gets contaminated and gain my hearing back from all the consecutive explosions I caused. My body was screaming for rest and I was harshly breathing at this point, pushing myself to the limit. In conclusion, I need a nap. I had enough dealing with two inhuman, close combat aliens thank you very much. I pushed the lid covering the entrance to the street and my escape, raising my head to once breathe fresh air.

Only to duck back down before a car ran it over.

After a few seconds, screeching reached my ears and I pulled my head up once again to see who the heck almost took my head off and caused my body to be covered in blood from the lethal wound.

"Wow… if I had hammer I would totally smash your head and be proud that I whacked a mole. You almost caused me to crash my new car into that hole you caused you bastard." A young but mocking voice came from the car.

It was strange to feel annoyed and relieved at the same time and I could only sigh as I pulled myself out of the sewage system.

"…You're late Usagi." The young black haired ex-soldier no longer wore his military uniform. He wore an orange shirt a red flame symbol starting at the bottom of it and a pair of blue jeans. His face still handsome with his hair a bit spiky, his eyes no longer showed naivety but rather, mischief. He was sitting in a red, open-hooded Camaro with a grin that would make even the calmest people annoyed.

"Well sorry," He did not sound sorry at all, "but you told me to ignore the speed limits but you _did not tell me to ignore the stoplights"_ He said as if mocking me.

I did not tell him to ignore the stoplights because I knew what route he was taking to head toward me. I thought something bad might happen during the mission of destroying the warehouse so I studied the sewage system and roads of Shinto Teito and made a plan in case things gone wrong.

And it did. Plan worked like a charm.

"So…what's the situation this time?" He asked curious at my current state not surprised at all. I had a sword wound on my chest and I was still trying to get my breathing under control. I walked to the trunk of the car and opened it to get something that we are going to need for our escape.

"MBI. Aliens with a vengeance" I deadpanned. A sniper rifle was before my eyes fully loaded and Calico M950. I picked it up and used the strap to point the nuzzle toward the sky next to my backpack. I picked up a few magazines of the sub-machine gun and walked to the the passenger seat of the Camaro, sub-machine gun in my right hand.

We were running out of time to leave the city alive. The MBI would not only sent the two aliens but also military personnel to take us down. They had been given approval to use any means necessary to take us, the terrorists, which we technically were, down with military efficiency.

_Boom_

And alien efficiency. The two women below must have discovered that I was no longer in the tunnel but on the surface.

"… There isn't five of them is there"

"Two, but one of them fires lasers"

"…Shit their evolving."

The earth rumbled once again and the two aliens jumped out of the tunnel and onto the street, one of them blood thirsty, grinning like a mad man with his favorite toy, and the other showing emotionless but I spotted a bit of something else in her eyes. I could not tell what it was though.

Both sides were staring at each other, waiting for the other's move. The two women could run at high speeds but even they would have trouble keeping up with a car at full speed. They did not have unlimited stamina. On the other hand, all they had to do was stop the car by either firing a single beam of light or cutting the tires and our lives would be lost. If we wasted any more time, the MBI will show up and dealing with them and the two aliens is something I want to avoid.

"You survived longer than the other humans I've slain Zike-chan", Karasuba joyfully said with her smile getting wider and her eyes no longer crinkled but fully open. "Maybe I should take your head and treasure it as a reminder of the fun you gave me"

"That makes me feel so warm and fuzzy" I deadpanned.

"…" Number eight was still emotionless but as I narrowed my eyes and noticed something. Her muscles were tense and her eyes were staring into mine, as if she was pondering about something. Then her eyes opened to full height before they narrowed, staring into mine with a feeling I thought she lost two years ago.

Hope

I could only raise an eyebrow at the occurrence. What the heck was that? I ceased my thoughts as the two woman got crouched down, ready to launch themselves like missiles and end our lives.

Then Usagi did something unpredictable.

"…" Usagi was silent as he raised his hands and performed a sort of cranking motion, raising his middle finger at the two aliens. He then acted as if it was stuck, looking back and forth between the aliens and his fist with an expression of mock surprise. Showing signs of intense struggle, he finally raised his middle finger to height with the most annoying shit-eating grin anyone will ever see.

"…" Karasuba's grin grew even more savage at the fearlessness and got even more exited.

"…" Number eight spared a quick glance at Usagi before staring back into my eyes, narrowing as it showed resolution.

"…Whoops," He did not sound apologetic at all.

"…" I could only palm my face and sigh at what he just did.

Really? You just had to do that did you? Provoke two dangerous aliens who could kill hundreds of people who could reach us in a few seconds. You're just full of bright ideas aren't you?

I soon found my body pushed against the seat as Usagi floored the gas pedal still looking back with his middle finger raised. The two women launched themselves toward us as soon as the car made a sound, making webs in the ground from their force and power, kicking up the earth and generating a powerful sound. They would reach us in less than three seconds due since the car hadn't gained enough speed and their faces showed expressions of victory.

Only for them to drop as I raised my right hand and pointed the sub-machine gun at them.

I pulled the trigger as the car was speeding away, aiming both left and right to prevent the two woman from gaining on us. The women were moving away to make sure they were nowhere near us lest they be injured or killed by a bullet. They discovered how accurate I was with a gun and were careful not to make a mistake and underestimate my skill. We were quickly gaining speed and by the time I had to reload, the car was accelerating as fast as it could. The two woman looked at each other and nodded before the brown haired woman quickly blurred away in a different direction, out of our sight, after we passed a four way road.

"HAH! One of them ran away. What a coward," Usagi was looking forward when the car accelerated to full speed and saw where the woman gone from his mirror. He had a grin of excitement as he continued driving the Camaro. As Karasuba continued chasing us, I suddenly realized something and I voiced it out loud enough for Usagi to hear.

"Can't the brown haired one shoot lasers?"

… "Ah shit"

Usagi quickly swerved the car to the left just as a beam of light erupted from the roofs of one of the builing. Causing the heat from it to assault our faces for an instant and the dust from the disintegrated concrete to obstruct our vision but Usagi kept the car under control. One of the things I taught him was how to drive a car even when blind and how to react when being attacked in one.

75 cars were destroyed in the process trying to teach him blind. 100 when trying to attack him while he was blind. It took a while but now he can drive and not crash into anything.

Usagi moved the car left and right, hearing the sounds that came before the beams of light and making the appropriate changes in direction to avoid being obliterated. After we retained our vision. We looked into the mirrors and discovered something.

Karasuba was closer than before and if she performed a burst of speed, she would be upon us in moments.

I clicked my tongue at the cunning tactic. Number eight attacked to make sure we slowed down when dodging them, allowing the battle hungry woman to catch up to us. If the light wielding woman fired one more time, Karasuba would be upon us and either take out our tires or try to behead us.

The light erupted once again in front of us and caused a crater obstructing the road. If Usagi did not act now, our fates were sealed.

Usagi made a split second decision to make a U-turn around the crater, hoping to lose the blood lusting women in the process. He did not account for the fact that our opponents could generate frightening bursts of speed if they had time. Karasuba crouched, poised to launch herself with a blood thirsty grin to take our lives with a katana that claimed the blood of many humans.

_Bang_

Only to stop herself from doing so as she was forced to block a bullet from a sniper rifle. My sniper rifle. I stood up in my from my seat and had my left foot on the headrest of my seat while my right root was on the place my posterior was on moments before to keep my balance.

I continued firing at her, no longer with the intention of escaping from her but killing her. Sparks erupted from the clashes of metal as she tried to cut every single bullet but she was losing speed. I was aiming the bullets far apart from one another to make sure she lost her speed the more she protected herself. By the time the Camaro was moving in the opposite direction it was originally going, Karasuba lost enough speed to not be able to deflect the next bullet if I fired. I only had one bullet in the sniper rifle left. She was grinning at me, eyes wide with excitement as I aimed the rifle at her body.

I did not hesitate and pulled the trigger, aiming for her head.

_Bang_

Blood was spilt but _Karasuba was not killed_

The bullet I fired swerved from its path and planted itself in the support of a random building. A thin line of blood appeared on Karasuba's cheek, and her hair descended downward from its raised position after the air from the bullet caused it to rise but that was it. Karasuba crinkled her eyes and her grin turned back into a smile and she spoke loud enough for me to hear despite rapidly gaining distance from her.

"Did you really have to ruin my fun you Kazehana"

"Sorry Crow-chan, but it looked like you were having too much fun. We can't have you messing up your beautiful face now can we?" A seductive voice reached my ears.

"It looks like we were right to come here and assist you. To think you were so close to being killed means that he cannot be handled alone." This voice held one of authority.

Usagi and I froze and the driver of the Camaro stepped on the brakes. The car pulled to a screeching halt and stopped in the middle of the wide road. "Oh shit. Oh shit. OH SHIT. OH SHIT," Usagi was shouting in horror. I couldn't blame him and if I was more prone to showing emotion, I would have done so too.

Standing in front of us were two women I thought I would never see again. Two women who took part in the invasion of Kamikura and ended the lives of many soldiers. Two women who were not human.

_It was Kazehana and the purple haired swordsman who were standing before us._

It started raining from the rain clouds, and soon started pouring. I found myself drenched in the drops of water and my clothes started weighing me down due to the collected liquid it absorbed. It was like the signal that the battle was over and that I had lost the fight.

No… I thoug- no _assumed_ they left the MBI. I thought they had no reason to stick to their organization or to continue taking human lives. I gritted my teeth as I realized my mistake, a frown present on my serious expression that was on face ever since the battle with the inhuman creatures started. _It was simply because of lack of information_ Years ago I did not make a careless mistake like this. What happened to cause this? Was it Usagi? The woman called number eight? Why did this happen? I fought many in many different battles and took even the dirtiest jobs but why did I make a blunder like this? The two newcomers were in front of us were approaching slowly and I heard footsteps from behind as well as if we lost the fight that has been taking place during the night. I tried analyzing the situation to discover a way out of this situation but I found there was nothing. We are screwed and we are going to die. Usagi paused and stopped panicking as he stopped to hear something. "Do you hear that?" No longer realizing that we were moments away from death.

"What are yo- guah?!"

Before I could register his words, I found myself tacked from my standing position on the car. It was painful. It felt like being hit by a truck running at full speed. If I had not prepared my body for the blow a split second ago, I would have died in an instant. Many bones in my body was broken and I found that I could no longer move it. I rolled on the ground with the figure who attacked me on top of me with her body on top of me and her hands restraining my wrists with inhuman strength.

It was the brown haired woman. The woman who had the ability to control light. The woman who I took in years ago and fed. The woman who was trying to kill me all night. The woman who blushed when we spat in each other's faces. The woman who I spoke the softest words that I ever said in years to. The woman who tried to cook but failed miserably. The woman who asked me how to live. The woman who was an airhead.

_The woman who was going to take my life._

I could only close my eyes and felt the strength leave me.

…I'm tired. I have fought for many years for many different people and their beliefs. I met many people. Some were good while some were evil. Some were beautiful while some were ugly. Some were honorable while some were cowards. Some were friendly while some were cruel. I worked for the money and demanded prices for my services but I did not gain it for my greed. I did not work for people like I had a choice to. I did not perform acts of violence because I enjoyed it.

I was searching for something. Searching for something that I had lost at an age where I could speak my first intelligent works. Searching by working and fighting for various types of people and their beliefs. But when I was so close to finding it, so close that it was within my reach, so close that I could have finally made a smile on my face that never appeared since the day I was born.

_I destroyed it. I destroyed it with my own hands._

As the rain drops continued pouring down on me, my eyes lost focus and I ignored the world around and spoke words that I haven't said in a long time. Words that contained various emotions. All my regret. All my hate. All my sorrow. All my despair. All my wrath. All my coldness. It were words that never reached anyone's ears in all of my life. It was the second time I ever uttered them.

"I…guess I… can't…finish it… its fine… this way"

Only to find my head move to the side as I felt a slap on my face.

My eyes went back into focus as I tried to identify the figure who committed the act and I found myself staring into brown eyes but found droplets of water not from the rain, but from the eyes themselves.

She was crying. Crying like she did two years ago.

"Why… why are you giving up… why are you saying its fine when it's not?" She struggled to utter those words due to her sniffing. Her eyes were staring into mine. Those eyes no longer contained the emptiness they did years ago.

"…"

I did not answer.

"Why… why are you in so much pain when you are doing something you have done for years, why are you fighting, why are can't you show love, why aren't you happy. I… was happy when you showed me your kindness years ago yet you did not smile at all. So why don't you show happiness"

"…"

"…Why did you say those words years ago when you could have ignored me and walk away? At least answer me that. I want to know why you gave me hope."

"...I can't answer a question I don't know the answer to," I replied in confusion

"…" She stared at me with her brown eyes wide. Her cheeks suddenly turned red and her breathing got more rushed. Then she did something I had never seen her do since I met her.

_She smiled_

...What? ….Why… why did she smile?

"Then I will stand by your side to help you find the goal you seek"

She then pressed her lips on mine

Wings of yellow and orange light erupted from her back, radiating a heat that made the rain no longer pour us. My eyes were wide as I realized what was happening but I could do nothing as my body could not move. She lifted her head and beamed a smile.

"Number zero eight at your side. I will stay by your side to light your path"

After a few seconds of looking into her smile, I sighed and could only say two words before falling asleep. Too much has happened this night.

"…How annoying"

* * *

_My right hand slowly started to rise despite my lack of strength and tried to grasp the sky. It seemed like a cry for help that will never be answered or a futile attempt to try and once again reach my goal. I muttered the only words I ever said since the battle ended and it contained all my pain. All my regret. All my hate. All my sorrow. All my despair. All my wrath. All my coldness. It were words that never reached anyone's ears in all of my life. It was the first time I ever uttered them. _

"_I…guess I… can't…finish it… its fine… this way"_

_A gentle hand gripped my own before it could descend to the ground. I looked at the figure and found a smiling brown haired woman looking at me with tears of joy. I could only stare at her as she pulled it on top of her chest and muttered words that I could barely hear._

"_I found you my lost ashikabi"_


	3. Present: Act 1-3

Speeding down the bridge, the wind blew at my sides causing my trench coat to blow with it. The sky had not a single cloud in it, the sun reflecting off of my visor with freedom. The engines of my vehicle boomed around the area, causing some people to turn their eyes and discover what the source of the noise was while others to only frown at the annoying sound too loud in their ears. The smell of the ocean water drifted into my noise and the sound of seagulls was a common occurrence. Despite the peaceful environment with the natural relaxing sounds, I could only think one thing while riding.

Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. CRAAAPPP.

I was late for a meeting with a client. About an hour late.

Thinking about only getting to my destination as quickly as possible, I rode my motorcycle with recklessness. If a person viewed me, they could only gape as they viewed my vehicle with awe an envy. It was a new high-tech motorcycle built by Yamaha recently that I acquired using the money I earned from various jobs. It had an exhaust that seemed to glow in the day but trailed neon blue lights after I attained high speeds. It was covered with white with some parts black for the inner workings and was not too large but not too small. To be honest, I was reluctant to buy one but if I bought one, I could get to my clients faster and not have to pay for transportation to get to them.

Stupid rip off cab drivers.

If a person looked at me now and knew me a few years back, they would note that I had not changed a bit. I still wore the same attire and the same one strapped backpack, without a sign of age on my face. There is a very absurd reason for this but if anyone asked, I would just say it was a genetic trait. My clothes hid chocolate brown skin that showed a well-toned body. My eyes were narrow as I swerved left and right between cars, still being careful despite the lazy and bored expression I wore. My muscles were tense as I was reaching my current destination, no doubt remembering the events that occurred in the past.

Shinto Teito. The current stage for the Sekirei Plan.

My client was involved in the plan and hired me to assist him with it due to my professional and unfailing skill. I feigned surprise when his messenger explained it to me to make sure that he didn't know I was involved with it before it started. That would cause a lot of problems for a variety of reasons. He summoned me to meet him within the city in his building to give me assignments to help him achieve victory. Normally I only took one assignment only for a client then disappeared but he was cunning with his words and managed to hire me for multiple assignments.

Still charged him a pretty penny though. I could still see his messenger twitching at the unbelievable prices for my services.

As I passed through the bridge, I turned my head and noted that some military personnel were preparing to build a checkpoint so they could identify who was entering and leaving. If I arrived a day later, my entrance to the city would not have been as smooth as it was right now. They were owned by the MBI, led by Minaka, who bought the city just recently for the sekirei plan that was probably still within the first stages. If I had to guess, most of the sekirei has been released and set out to find their ashikabi. It was a shame that I was going to either eliminate some of them or force a winging to my client against their will. It was a dirty job but I never questioned nor cared for the way are my abilities used. Whether my services took lives or saved them did not matter to me.

As I was getting to my assigned meeting place, I could only recall the events occurred before the Sekirei plan even started but quickly shook my head to get rid of them. What happens in the past stays in the past and if brought up, it would only interfere with my job. I had a job to do and it was my responsibility to see it through to the end without fail.

It was time to go to work.

* * *

Finally arriving at my destination, I parked my motorcycle in front of it and took my helmet off to view it with my own eyes. I could only snort in amusement at what the skyscaper specialized in. I can only hope that my client won't decide to no longer use my services due to my lateness. Two hours late in fact. I always leave my (unharmed) clients if they decide to not go through with my services. It was, in a way, a chance for them to think through their choices before I used my abilities. I really did not want that because that would be two hours of gas wasted coming here. There was one simple reason for my lateness.

I overslept… I am not apologizing.

Pushing through the door that led to the building, I noted that there were a lot of people dressed in suits moving in and out of the buildings with high walking speeds. They raised eyebrows at my out of place attire but said nothing else as they passed me to get back to the jobs they had. The interior of the building was brand new and contained not even a speck of dust in its well-preserved condition. I walked past and between the men and women in my way and reached the front desk where five young office ladies had their hands full with the phone calls they were continuously receiving. The elevators were next to them and I could have used it to reach my client but I did not know which floor they were on.

One of the women, a freckled face with an orange ponytail, only spared one glance in my direction before deeming me not important and returning to her phone calls. I noticed that her fellow co-workers noticed this and did the same. I still kept a calm mind and proceeded to state my purpose to the office woman, with my bored and lazy expression.

"I am here to see the owner of this company for an appointment. Can you direct me to where he is at the moment? I am two hours late and I suspect that he needs to see me as soon as possible." I asked politely yet lazily and uninterested at the same time. The woman casted another glance toward me once again, this time a few seconds longer, before once again returning to her work.

"The president of this company is not taking visitors at this time, especially from young foreign teenagers. You will have to schedule another appointment another time. If you have no further business, please exit the building," She proffesionally said but I hear slight irritation in her voice. She did not even bother to check and see the appointment list.

Still trying to act civilized, I spoke to the young women once more. "It is extremely important that I see the president for personal matters."

"Again, the president will not be taking any visitors at this time so please exit the building or I will call security to escort you out"

Typical office annoying young office ladies.

I sighed and shrugged and walked over to elevator that was near the info desk. Looks like I will have to find him myself. As I was walking towards it, I noted that the looked once quickly in my direction then discretely put her hand under the desk to push something. Looks like getting to my client was not going to be as easy as I thought it would be.

Usually this stuff happens _during_ the assignment not _before_ it.

I walked into the empty elevator and pressed a button leading to the top floor. As the elevator music played, I couldn't help but to alternate stepping on my toes and then back to my heels with my hands in my coat, moving my head side to side. The elevator indeed stopped at the top floor, only for me to meet two buffed security guards in black suits and black sunglasses. There were a set of double doors at the end of the hall which was supposedly where my client was. I guess I was not getting there unless I get through the guards.

Typical annoying men in black

"Please leave the building young man or we will have to use force to escort you out," One of them said in a deep, threatening voice. They both had their hands in their pockets with the distinct shape of a handgun.

Escort he says

I ignored him and stepped out of the elevator and walked toward my destination. They aimed their weapons at me with steady positions.

"Last warning or we will be forced to perform lethal action."

"That's what she said"

They did not take kindly to that.

When I spoke, I took my hands out of my pocket and fired two coins at a pressure point in their trigger fingers at high speeds. This forced them to halt in their attempt at "lethal action" and to drop their weapons at the pain. They did not reacted fast enough before I stepped in close enough to reach out with my hands before I quickly punched their throats in what seemed like a blur to their untrained eyes. Over the years, I quickly trained my body to handle the more… physical battles. Not only did it make "normal" jobs easier but it also made me obtain less injuries during the "not normal" jobs. They quickly dropped to the floor, trying to regain their breaths. I did not let them. I kicked their heads hard enough to knock them out and continued walking to my destination. I pushed the doors and open and stepped inside into the middle of the room.

The room was surrounded by windows that had a Birdseye view of the city with potted plants in the corners. In front of me was a brown and expensive desk with a computer and some papers on top of it. The chair behind it had its chair facing the windows and its occupant staring at the view. There was a blue suited man with a yellow tie and glasses staring at me with narrowed eyes. He had brown hair and eyes and a young face.

I ignored him and spoke to the man sitting in the chair while raising a job. "You ordered two guards to kill me? That is not a good way to hire someone to assist you." I started, seeming uninterested.

"You were two hours late so I questioned if your reputation really preceded you. If you could not even take down two armed guards, there is no point in hiring you. Be thankful. I could have ordered more of them but I am feeling generous today," A young and professional voice sounded from the chair. It also had a hint of compassion and gentleness in it but I knew better.

It was the voice of a manipulator.

This is going to be an annoying job.

"You could have ordered more guards but you did not order any of your other "employees?" That question gone through my mind ever since I saw the two human guards.

"I… dislike using them. I cannot not trust them to do the jobs I can assign."

"So you went through the trouble of sending your attendant to me to explain the situation without fear of MBI intervention just to acquire my services for a high price? In my opinion, I would have just used the other "employees"."

"You are certainly degrading yourself. Are you sure that is a good idea to do in the presence of your employer who is about to hire you?"

"Maybe you shouldn't hire me."

"I am not that blind. I know that you are experienced with your profession so hired you"

"Because I'm experienced and a human?"

"That is one reason, yes."

"So what is my first assignment?" I put my hands in my pocket as I asked apathetically with a bored expression.

The young man turned his chair around and placed a folder on the front of his desk. The man looked like a gentleman with his pure white suit with a black tie underneath. He had brown hair spiked in the back with grey eyes that showed gentleness but underneath, coldness. Girls would probably die to go out with a man like him with his handsome face. I walked over and picked up the folder and looked into the contents.

"The money shall be placed transferred to your account as soon as possible like said in the contract. In order for us to work freely without fear of the MBI catching on that I leaked information, we need to get you involved into the sekirei plan. It is not leaked if you are involved in the participant of the plan. Your first assignment is to wing her and use her in any way you prefer to complete the assignments I will give you later."

"There's a catch isn't there?"

"Unfortunately yes. It seems that the sekirei I assigned you to acquire is likely to get winged to a certain patient in one of my hospitals. You need to wing her before that happens."

"Why not allow her to wing her and blackmail?"

"That is an option yes, but it would cause problems in the future. The patient has no intention of working under obviously me so there is a possibility the sekirei may rebel against me one day"

"Why go through the trouble of acquiring this sekirei. What is the difference from taking another sekirei that will be less complicated to acquire?"

"In your folder is a list of almost all 108 sekirei. The lower the number, the more powerful they are but there are some exceptions. She is one of the top ten sekirei and will be vital to acquiring some of the single digits."

"Already thinking ahead are we?"

The young man simply shrugged. "I like to be one step ahead of my opponents."

"What is stopping her from rebelling against me if I wing her if she is unwilling to help me?"

"Sekirei, once bonded to their ashikabi, value them quite dearly. They can only have one ashikabi and will do whatever they have to make sure they gain their love. I highly doubt she would disobey your commands although she may not like them depending on what her personality is like."

"Also, you are only to try and wing her while she is away from the northern section of Shinto Teito. From my sources, she lives in the northern area where there are rumors of a monster called the "Hanya of the north"" hanya? Isnt that… Ah crap "and also the sekirei guardian"" I restrained myself from palming my face and sighing. This job just gets better and better doesn't it? "So I would like to avoid confrontations with them in case that they may cause problems in the future."

I knew it. This is going to be annoying to an astounding degree.

"Is there a time limit for this "winging"?"

"I would like to have you acquire her as soon as you can and before the patient manages to wing her. We need to get started on the other assignments as soon as possible"

"What if you just killed the patient?"

"I would rather not have someone killed in a hospital that _I_ own. It would be bad for business."

"Anything else I should know other than the list of sekirei?"

"Your focus should only be on acquiring the sekirei I assigned but you will receive further information once you acquire her. If you fa-"

"I will not fail. That is why you hired me"

"I apologize for ever bringing up the possibility but you should understand that your appearance and age leaves me slightly…" The man slightly paused to figure out how to lightly put it but could find other way to put it, "doubting your capabilities".

Dang you my handsome youthful face.

"Once you complete this first job, report back to me, and I will completely trust in your abilities but if you fail…" He trailed off and allowed me to finish the sentence.

He would have me eliminated. He cannot be discovered that he leaked information about the sekirei plan to someone uninvolved so it would be best to kill me before the MBI would discover it.

Good luck with that. Not that I am implying that I will fail or anything.

The young handsome man then put out his hand in a position to shake on the deal. Smiling a smile that under it, hid all the sins he will cause in the future.

"I look forward to working with you Zike"

"Likewise, _Izumi Higa_"

I then left the pharmaceutical company headquarters to start my first assignment. I opened the folder to view my target.

_Sekirei Number 10: Uzume_

* * *

Okay. Here's the thing.

_I_ do not engage in relationships. With the mercenary work, it could end badly in the future. Not only that, but I never was interested in relationships that much and when I was in one, I was forced into it by the girl, deprived of my free will. I would have been embarrassed and no doubt lost my pride that I was in forced relationship but I lost my pride years ago. I honestly do not know why they force me into a relationship. I could have ended it but I did not really care that much. Plus the relationship usually ended with the girl dying but there were a few exceptions. I usually did not care about the girls since usually they were not even my allies but there were some rare and I mean _extremely rare _cases where I was forced into a relationship by a girl who I considered a friend. With that, the relationship usually lasted a while because I would protect the girl from any danger that came at her. It was extremely annoying and they ended up with the girl breaking up from me for some reason.

… Honestly I think it was good that I lost my pride. Made taking the break up seem like nothing.

So my objective was this: I had to get Uzume to react to me without me doing anything different from what I usually do and allow her to kiss me as soon as possible before she was winged by the patient at the hospital she usually appears at… How annoying.

In order to achieve my objective, I needed to not seem suspicious at all and spend enough time with her to trigger a reaction. In order to do that, I needed to make my appearance at the hospital not seem unnatural at all and the only way to do that was to injure myself. I refused to get others involved in a job that I could perform with my own ability alone.

So I found a rock and broke my arm with it. I did not scream but I did roll on the ground due to the pain… which caused even more pain.

…Being a mercenary was hard.

I knew how injuries worked due to my profession so I injured myself in a way that it would heal in about a week. That means I had one week to make Uzume react to me.

I am going to get such a headache after this is all over.

As I was walking out from my room with my arm in a caste, I moved to the stairs with the same bored expression that was usually on my face. The file on Uzume said that she usually appears on the roof eating pocky. She may or may not be there right now but it wouldn't hurt to check. I made it to the roof but found that I was not the only one on it.

It was not Uzume but Chiho. The patient who was close to being Uzume's ashikabi. She was in a wheelchair with a light orange hospital gown with light brown eyes. Her hair was very long, reaching all the way to where she was seated on the wheelchair and she was a short girl. Her face was small and adorable. Boys would probably be asking her out constantly if she was in school.

From the file, it said that Uzume nor Chiho had never met each other but based on the data received from the personalities of both of them, if they met even once, it would trigger a reaction and Uzume would be winged by Chiho. I could not allow that to happen but I also could not kill her due to Higa owning the hospital. So this assignment consisted of only manipulation and timing. Violence was not an option. That was just fine. I currently was in no condition to fight.

As I walked over to her, I thought about the file I read about her. Turns out both her parents died and she has no relatives that could not take of her. Not only that, but she was inflicted with a rare deadly disease and is only alive due to Higa's hospital being the only one who could provide her treatment for her to live. I am sure that the MBI could cure her disease but that will not happen for obvious reasons.

"It is a nice day today huh?" I tried to start up a conversation as I walked up next to her. In order to be able to manipulate her, I needed to gain her trust.

She looked slightly surprised at my appearance but smiled. "Yes it is. I always go up here despite my condition to feel the fresh air. Even though I could feel it inside my room, it seems to be always better to be outside. I especially like it during the day when it is sunny like this."

"Honestly I find it boring,"

The hospitalized girl blinked at my blunt and rude answer.

Walking to the edge of the hospital, I leaned against the rail using my stomach and just stared off into the city in the distance. "Day is a time that can be experienced every day of the week with the exception of cloudy days of course. It happens over and over again with the sunlight bearing down on you with the only thing changing is you and everyone's shadow. I think of day as a time of hiding but I also do not like night either. It is a time where people show their true colors and often make mistakes because of it, causing others to be harmed in the process.

I was picking my ear at this point. I think a fly got in their or something. "Sunset is usually my favorite time of day. It is like the mix between when a person hides and when a person shows their true colors. It is a time when people go home from work, when kids finally finish playing outside and go home, when you start to no longer see the animals you usually see during the day. Basically it is both a beginning and an end."

Chiho pondered my words that I thought of on the fly and stared at me, her eyes curious. I was about to say, how's life but that obviously wouldn't work.

"Then… then what about sunrise?" She asked it with wide eyes like a puppy.

"Don't know. Fell back to sleep before I saw it."

The diseased girl could only giggle at my short answer. "You say all those things yet you can't say anything insightful about sunrise"

"I just don't like sunrise"

"But weren't you so insightful just a minute ago?"

"Sunrise is the bane of my existence. It does not deserve my insight. Dang sun waking me up when I want to go back to sleep."

The girl could only sweat drop and smile at that. "I usually do not see you up here. Are you new here?"

"Yep. Smashed my arm with a rock"

Chiho could only stare at me at horror. "Why would you do that too yourself?"

"There was a fly on it"

"And you broke your arm just to kill a fly?" Asking me like I was insane.

"… It was a big fly?" I could only scratch my cheek at that excuse.

After staring like me like I was a person that looked like he needed mental help, the girl could only shake her head and sigh. "Really. You should treat your body more carefully." Chiding me for my predicament.

I simply shrugged. Too late for that.

"Name is Zike by the way"

"Chiho Hidaka. Pleasure to meet you Zike-san" She said with a smile on her face before they turned into confusion. "Umm Zike-san? You haven't said your last name"

"I didn't. Why?" I could only tilt my head in confusion.

"Umm… people in Japan usually greet others with their full name. Is it because you are not used to this countries customs? You look like a foreigner and sorry if I am being rude," She shyly said, slightly fidgeting and looking away from my face.

"Oh that. I don't know my last name or haven't met my family. I was apparently abandoned as soon as I was born," I casually said. To this day, I still haven't found or discovered any trace of my previous family but never really cared much.

Chiho could only look at me with pity in her eyes. "And your fine with that? But… but that's not right." She showed her worries over how I just nonchalantly said that. "Families are supposed to show love to each other not abandon them! Ah! Sorry! I just… spoke my mind," She lowered her head apologetically for commenting on my predicament.

I could only sigh and walk over to her and patted her head. "You're such a good girl," I honestly said and I meant it. The girl looked up into eyes but quickly looked away, her cheeks red. She looks like a puppy. A diseased puppy who could no longer move and whose body is continually deteriorating… Still adorable though.

"Well it was nice to see you but I am going to bed" I yawned as I walked back to where I entered from.

"But it is only the middle of the day."

"…yes."

Chiho could only tilt her head at that. "Ummm… will I see you again?"

"I'll stop by your room every once in a while. Night Chiho"

"Good… Good night Zike-san. I mean afternoon! I mean… haaahh" She finally gave up on saying goodbye.

Adorable.

* * *

After our first meeting, once in a while became every day. I discovered her room number and met her in there once or twice a day. We usually talked about what was going on outside and often commented on how nice it was. I even took her out on her wheel chair outside the hospital for some fresh air. At one occurrence, I even set her down with her back down against to a tree with me sitting next to her, much to the hospitalized girl's protest. She then mumbled how warm I was and when I asked her what she meant, she lowered her head, her face deep red in embarrassment.

When it was a thunderstorm one day, I found her shaking in her bed. She was scared of the thunder. When I volunteered to stay by her side so she could feel safe, she looked smiled and accepted, looking very happy to have a friend by her side. I told her about some of my experiences during my life, which she did not believe and was very interested to hear it every day. She laughed when I told of the strange situations I found myself in at times. She cried when I told her of the sad experiences when I had to say goodbye forever. She blushed when I told her some of the more romantic stories which were actually people I had to make fall in love which each other. Smacked me with a pillow when I got to the kissing parts and told me to get out with her face dark red. She smiled at the happy parts when there were festivals and was awed when I explained unbelievable landscapes. She screamed and I was then tackled by a security guard right on my broken arm. She was apologizing the whole time as I said it was fine with a strained face. Every day, she was waiting for me to bright up her day. I was the only person who ever bothered to meet her other than the people who asked her about her house. We avoided talking about our pasts as if it would dampen the mood. We were fine with only talking about the present and not talking about the past or the future.

After the third day, I viewed Chiho as a friend. I no longer viewed her as a stepping stone to achieve my objective. She was my friend, and I denied refused to see her as any less than that. But I was manipulating her, no matter what I believed. I was keeping her from going to the roof, keeping her from her potential sekirei, keeping her from a person that would bring more joy and happiness to her longer than I could. I did not regret it. If she met her potential sekirei, she would be involved in the sekirei plan and would only be told lies that were hidden under smiles. She would be used as blackmail and I could not allow her to be degraded as such. I did not smile once despite being with Chiho. I never did in my entire life after all, but strangely, she was fine with it, as if she knew that I could not smile.

My time limit for winging Uzume was ticking down every day and I was growing worried after each passing day. I could not try to find her in the northern area of Shinto Teito due to the risk of encountering the hanya of the north or the sekirei guardian. So I waited. As I visited a girl and made her smile, I waited for my true objective to come.

It was almost amusing that I met Uzume on the day my arm was getting out of its cast.

I went to Chiho's room as soon as I got up, which was in the afternoon by the way, and went to the steps to go to the roof. As I walked up the steps to the roof for probably the last time, I saw the girl I was waiting all week to find. She was a well-endowed young woman with long, dark brown hair, brown eyes and a well-developed body figure. She wore a pink/violet belly top with a golden star on the front and a golden "10" on the back. For pants she wore what looked to be Capri jeans. She was eating pocky while holding a straw basket filled with even more pocky.

As I walked towards her she noticed me and looked at me, brown eyes staring into brown eyes. A few seconds passed and neither of us said nothing. With her curious face staring into my bored and lazy one, I sighed and couldn't help but say one thing to her-

"You're going to get fat you know"

-and then found myself holding my stomach in pain as I was quickly punched by the girl with her inhuman strength.

Worth it. I regret nothing.

I was soon lifted up from my balled up position from my shirt and was forced to face an angry sekirei in the face.

"*Cough* Is this how you treat an injured person? My, how the world has fallen"

"Is this how you greet a hot girl? My, how stupid you are."

Touché

"Could you put me down now, while I would enjoy being held up by a gorilla, I like my feet touching the ground" I lazily said to the brown haired gorilla.

And then another feminine yet powerful fist struck my stomach once again.

Oh God it's like being hit with a sledge hammer except the sledgehammer can be fired rapidly if I pissed it off more.

The brown haired girl's face then changed from one of anger to one of a pure smile with her eyes closed while holding me up with both hands. "Apologize," She simply said in a too sweet voice.

Over my dead body

"No"

Then I kicked her in the stomach, making her lose her grip on me and the fight was on.

We wrestled each other, both kicking and punching each other, trying to overpower the other and make the loser giver up. The tom boy restrained herself since I was human and it was fairly even for the most part. By the time we finished, we were both on the ground, panting with our faces roughed up and bruises all over our body. The sun was setting at this point and lights were beginning to illuminate the darkening city.

"Hah…hah…you're…pretty…hah…good…ya know…ha"

"You…didn't…hah…do…to…hah…bad…yourself…hah"

As we tried to recover our breath we turned our heads, grin facing bored face.

"Name's Uzume. Nice to meet ya!"

"Zike" I simply said.

After we regained our breaths we sat up with our bodies facing each other.

"So… why did we do that?" Uzume asked me a question with a confused expression

"Answer: you started it," I simply answered with a lazy voice.

"Wha- That's because you called me fat!"

"No I said you are _going_ to get fat. See, this why you don't have a job."

"How did you know I don't have a job?!"

"I didn't. You said it. And now my impression of you has lowered. Tsk, Tsk, Tsk."

"You are annoying," the tomboy said with an annoyed expression.

"So are you but you don't see me whining about it"

And we stared at each other for the next few seconds.

If you had to explain our situation, you would say that it is similar to children's fight. We couldn't help it. We were bored. The instant our eyes met, we found that we had much in common and through the fight we learned about each other. I learned that she was a person who questioned her existence. She learned that I was a person who was searching for a goal that I failed before. People would ask how we could tell so much from fighting each other and would call it bull but we couldn't really explain it ourselves. If you had to ask our reasons, we would say that it was to let out our frustrations.

I did not know why I fought with her and why it was her but I doubt she knew why she knew why she fought with me either. We just felt like it. Then Uzume smiled at my bored expression, somehow happy at our predicament-

"Bye"

-then I got up and went to the exit and her face dropped to one of disbelief at my sudden farewell.

…What? I was tired and hungry. Of course I would leave. Even if I was trying to wing Uzume, my condition takes priority.

As I was walking toward the exit, I found myself lifted up from the ground and turned around to face an irritated Uzume with her arms crossed. I had to look down a bit since I was a few centimeters taller than her or I would have had to stare at her hair.

"Have a drink with me, your treat," she said. Why would I spend my money on something I don't want?

"Why?" I voiced my question with a raised eyebrow.

She pointed behind her and toward the ground and I looked to where she was pointing. On the ground was her pocky destroyed from the fight and in small crumbs. So? I didn't start the fight.

No wait yes I did. Kicked her in the stomach. And what a kick it was.

She then dragged me by the back of my collar, making my body drag on the ground as I did not want to walk, to make me go buy her a drink with a smile on her face. I noticed that her breasts bounced as she had a bit of a jump to her step.

I had a blank face the whole time.

See? What did I say? It is always forced. I didn't even do anything.

* * *

We were now back on the rooftop with sake bottles in our hands. The sun had set and the stars were now in the sky, barely visible due to the illumination of the city with the full moon high in the sky. It was spring, so it was a little chilly out but it felt relaxing. Uzume was the only one drinking while I just pretended to drink. She was sitting on the railing that rested on the edge of the building while I was leaning on it with my back. We were both looking toward the stars.

"Puah! This is some good stuff!" The tomboy said a little tipsy. I don't know how but she managed to keep her balance despite moving back and forth on the railing.

"Drinking is not a good idea when you could fall off the building"

"Ahhh whatcha ya talking about? *hic* I'm great!" She cheered, raising her arms up in the air. She had a slurred grin on her face with her eyes a little unfocused and her cheeks red from the alcohol.

"You're not being very convincing"

"Wahh forget you! *hic* If you really want me, what about this!" She then lift her shirt showing her large breasts covered by he-

No. Those are nipples. Nipples on her large breasts…

Wait she wasn't wearing a bra the whole time? Was that what I was feeling when I was wrestling her? No wonder she almost crushed a few of my ribs when I touched them a bit.

I just stared at her with a blank face and she pulled her shirt back down, looking at me with a pout on my face. "Tch, your no fun"

I then cast my gaze back to the stars ignoring her. She did not like that at all.

"Fine if you don't want me *hic*, I'll just somewhere else *hic*"

Then she stood on the railing and jumped off of it.

… Oh come on!

"You annoying woman!" I growled out, jumping after her. The building was not that tall so there was a chance I would survive the fall. Though that chance was very small though.

I caught up to her and with one hand in a caste, I used the other to shift her body on top of mine as I braced for impact to protect her from falling head first and splattering her brains and blood on the Earth.

The impact never came.

White veils shot out and stopped my fall halfway to my fatal death. It latched on to the nearby building and made me land in a bed of cloth, cushioning my impact and leaving me unharmed. Uzume was no longer wearing her previous clothes. A long white veil covered her limbs, the most necessary parts which were her breast and crotch, and surrounded her body. She was positioned on top of me, her brown eyes staring into mine. Her breathing increased and her cheeks were no longer red due to alcohol but heat and blood. She was reacting to me. She leaned down and closed her eyes, puckering her lips to press them onto mine.

I didn't let her. Not now.

Her lips kissed my hand as I shielded my lips with it. She opened her eyes wide and slowly leaned back from her failed attempt to claim my lips.

"…Why?" One word was all she said, her eyes filling with tears. That one word contained confusion, pain, and loss. I knew that her actions were not due to her drunken state.

"I am not rejecting you but warning you of what you are getting yourself into before you make a decision."

She stared at me with her body radiating a great amount of warmth close to me, wondering what I had to say.

"…I… I committed a great amount of violence in the past and I will continue to do so in the future. I will take lives and perform actions that will make you look away. I refuse to let you continue unless I do not tell you this beforehand. It is possible that you will be dragged into my situations so I- mmppphhh"

I couldn't finish as I found her lips pressed onto mine as if chiding me for interrupting their previous attempt.

She did not even hesitate.

As her white wings sprouted from her back, they were composed completely of cloth and silk. It emitted a white glow from those sheets that illuminated the dark night.

As she finished, I was left speechless as she leaned back and stared into my eyes, smiling.

"Number ten, Uzume, at your side. I will protect you with my veils, forever and ever"

I gritted my teeth and asked a question she asked seconds before.

"Why?" Why was she getting involved with me after I explained what I will do? The people I will kill? The lives I will ruin? The hate I will cause? Th-

"Because I love you, Zike, my lost ashikabi." Number ten said immediately with a smile on her face.

"You… You annoying woman," I hugged her head close to my close my chest as I clenched my teeth. She said words that caused me pain. Pain that she will stay by my side no matter what path I took. No matter how much trouble I will cause. No matter how pain she will feel in turn.

Just like what that woman did years ago.

…How annoying. I am surrounded by annoying women.

* * *

I told Uzume to wait outside the hospital because I had to get my arm out of the caste and check the injury. Walking down the dark halls of the hospital, I looked out the window and noticed the sun rising.

I hate sunrise. What I told Uzume was the truth but I didn't tell her the whole truth. She did not need to see what I was going to do.

Reaching my destination, I opened the door and silently looked around. It was a small one occupant room. The bed was against the wall with a table to the left side. Next to the bed was a machine, providing the only thing preventing the person in the bed to live. I walked over to the machine and turned it off. The person would die in a few minutes, hidden as a suicide rather than a murder. Even though it might disrupt Higa's business a bit, there was no way he could blame it on me despite my regular visits to the person as there were no witnesses. The security camera's in the hospital were not that good so it was easy to get to the room undetected.

Before I could leave the room, a hand latched itself onto my coat.

... Really. Why did she have to wake up at this moment?

"...Why... why are you leaving?" Chiho strruggled to ask, her hand losing strength. Chiho had to take her treatments regular at the right time without interruption or her condition would immediately worsen.

I did not answer. I never did.

I was causing her death and all she had to say was ask why I was leaving? ... Annoying woman are always surrounding me it seems.

If you had to ask why I did this, I would say to not make her endure any more pain. Nobody was providing Chiho money for her treatment so she was using the money that she sold her house from. But it was steadily decreasing every month. Even if she did miraculously survived, who would take care of her? I could not due to my profession and if I did, she would likely die within a week. She had no friends or family and she missed a lot of time during school. She would be alone and an outcast due to her old age. Not only that, but I am one of the causes to her problem also. How can she deal with me leaving? The only person who made her happy and laugh and smile since she was hospitalized. People may use her if they discover her existence and she would only fall into a life of pain.

So I was killing her. Killing her because she was my friend. Telling her to live would be to cruel.

I did not face her and I could feel her hand slowly losing its grip.

"It... was... nice... meeting you... I... I had so much fun. When... when you came... I wondered... wondered why I lived...why I should live on... then you came... and gave me... something to hope for... I was happy..."

I clenched my fists. I still did not look at her.

"When I... first felt your hand... I could tell your intentions... at first it was cold... I was afraid... but then it felt warm... after time passed... I'm sorry"

Why? Why are you apologizing?

"I'm sorry that I caused you pain"

I did not need to look back to know that she was smiling apologetically. After spending only a week with her, I knew that she was a person too kind.

"..."

Then she was gone.

I did not look back. Looking back only means that you made a mistake.

I did all that I could. She experienced so much happiness in one week that she hadn't experienced in a long time, yet, did not know even a thing about me. She did not need to know that she was talking to someone who took lives.

As I left the room, I couldn't help but think one thing.

I hate sunrises. It shows the difference between the light and the shadows;the pain it will cause if we try to cross it.

My phone rang. It is time to go to work.

* * *

Two different time periods, two different stories yet the same person in the same life. One tells the story during the events of the original disciplinary squad. One tells the story during the events of the sekirei plan.

Both their introductions are finished and it is now time to begin the main story. The main story that revolves around one boy and his involvement with the sekirei.

The main story that all started because he went to Kamikura.

The past will affect the present but the present will define the future.

The Lost Ashikabi walks on, searching for his path.


	4. Past: Act 1-4

Author's Notes:

_**Important**_

The first thing is that the story will be structured so that it plays during the time of the first disciplinary squad and the sekirei plan in separate chapters. If I just wrote about just the disciplinary quad, it will be a long time until I get to the sekirei plan so I planning to do both. I was originally planning to do the whole Yume part in extremely long chapters but I could not due to how much time that would take to do so and I would feel that I am not making good progress with the story. You can tell if the story is in the present or the past by the chapter title.

The second thing is that I am getting rid of my other OC character Usagi. Like I said before, the prologue was just to see what things would work and what things wouldn't so Usagi is not really working out. It may be because I am a beginner with this but writing the personality for Usagi is too much work. I was actually planning to involve him in the story a lot but that would not work. This is a story about Zike not Usagi. Nobody cares about Usagi or what happens to him. So scrapping him in this chapter later on.

* * *

**The Past – Chapter 0**

What the hell just happened back there?

That question was replaying in my mind over and over again. That was not me but it was. I said I gave up but I didn't. Was that really me back there? Was I influenced by the aliens or was I just exhausted from the lack of sleep? I do not know too much about the aliens but is it possible they can affect the mind and cause it to manipulate the mind to whatever they desire? There have been cases where there were specialists with the mind influencing the human thought and bending them to their will but during Kamikura Island, none of that happened.

"Zike-san."

Whatever happened to me affected the other. It could have been a double-edged sword, to try and show my true intentions and manipulate me however they see fit. It was far off but what happened before should not have happened. I should not have voiced those words I said years ago. I should not have been cornered by the aliens despite completing the mission. I should not have destroyed those companies in Shinto Teito without getting more information first. And most of all, I should not have _given up_.

"Zike-san"

Giving up was not something I would ever do. Giving up is something I will _never_ do but that is what I did before. If I gave up, it means that all the people I killed, all the lives I saved, all the happiness I caused, all the hatred I caused, would have all been for nothing. I continue fighting because giving up was not an option. It never was. So even if I did give up before, that does not matter now. I will not give up ever again no matter the circumstances or the pain that will be inflicted on me both physical and mental.

"Zike-san!"

"Yeah, you really shouldn't do that"

I will continue walking the Earth and fight for people's beliefs to find the goal I failed achieving long ago. Even if I am nowhere close to achieving it after years of fighting I wil-

"Zike-san!"

"You should stop"

I will-

"Zike-san!"

"I'm warning you"

I-

"ZIKE-S- GUAH!?"

"Shut up"

"Told you so but noooooo! You didn't want to listen to listen."

-will immediately punch the person preventing me from sleeping. Forget having a broken body! Disturbing me from my attempt to sleep is a crime that I will not allow.

Sitting up from my laid down position, I had my arm outstretched as I punched the annoying person who interrupted my thought and sleep. When my senses started becoming more aware, I first noted that my body was no longer broken to an extent where I could not move but the sword wound was still present on my chest and so were the bruises when that number eight caused when she tackled me. The clouds continued pouring down drops of water on the Earth as I was still on the street filled with craters. It was still night and the buildings around me were illuminating the night sky.

Twenty seconds. That is how much sleep I got after I called the brown-haired woman annoying.

Who was on her knees in front of me, rubbing her cheek with a pained expression. She was the one I punched... nope not regretting it. No one is excused from the pain that will be dealt to one who interrupts my sleep. So I am still alive. I expected to be killed the second I tried going to sleep.

"That is not how you should treat a women Zike-kun! You're supposed to kiss her as soon as you wake up not punch her" That voiced belonged to Kazehana who was looking at me pouting, drenched in the rain. Hands on her hips with her legs spread apart as if trying to chide me. I looked to her left and noted that the purple-haired swordsman was also wet from the rain and staring at me with narrowed eyes.

No not at me, at number eight.

"Zike does not simply wake up and simply "kiss". He slugs the first person he comes across, satisfying his innate desire to inflict pain on others as his breakfast. The sole definition of a bastard. Exhibit A." And Usagi is picking his ear while staring at me with a bored expression. So he's still alive huh? I honestly expected him to die after I was tackled.

"Zike-san, that was rude. I was trying to wake you up." The brown haired woman said in a whining tone, holding her cheek as she stared at me with a betrayed expression. Still kneeling down in front of me, a little too close for comfort, I noted that her eyes held a strong emotion that I felt was only directed at me and will not show for anyone but me.

"You punch the first person you see as soon as you wake up? I have to wonder what you fought to act like that. It almost makes me want to try to fight you again." And the grinning Karasuba was here. Perfect. Like the others, she was drenched in the rain, a red line running across her cheek from the wound I gave her.

They were the three women and Usagi were standing behind number eight as if they were waiting for me to wake up the whole time. Why is Usagi still alive? Why am I still alive? Why aren't they looking like they no longer want to kill me? Why are Kazehana and the purple-haired swordsman here? And most important of all:

Why the heck is the brown haired woman trying to bring her face closer to mine?

I stopped her current objective of getting close to my face using her face with my hand. She whined in protest as she tried to push against my hand to get closer to me. I raised an eyebrow to the people standing behind her.

The purple haired swordsman turned her gaze from the brown haired woman trying to get to my face to me. Her eyes were sharp and had no sign of playfulness that the others were showing. She looked like she would cut me down at any given moment. Good. I need someone who is not playing around to explain what is happening right now.

"Karasuba and number eight were sent to capture you and your friend but they were both so "excited" about fighting you that they forgot their orders.

"Excited she says" Usagi sarcastically interrupted.

"We were sent in to prevent them from killing you." She continued, ignoring Usagi. Her tone held coldness that would make even the most powerful men shiver.

Not me and Usagi though. We were insane like that.

Number eight stopped trying to reach my face at this moment to glare at Karasuba. "You told me we were ordered to kill him." She did not sound happy at all.

"Whoops" Karasuba just shrugged as if it did not matter. "I was planning on just scaring him so he would surrender without a fight but he showed resistance so I forgot."

"Or maybe that was your way of seducing him crow-chan! You do not know how to ask men out by asking them after all." Kazehana teasingly commented on Karasuba's carelessness.

"And your reason for attempting to capture me is?" I asked irritated at the moment. It was cold and raining. I wanted to get this over with.

"Our objective was to capture you and question who hired you so we can eliminate them through political means. Your recent "jobs" as you call it attracted too much suspicion to the MBI that it is restricting our movements in and out of the city due to other countries patrolling the waters around Kamikura and providing security with the excuse that it is for protection. We barely managed to get the approval to search for you without other "assistance" in the city." The purple haired woman continued.

So that was what Karasuba meant by complications. Kamikura must have no connection to the outside world which means no connection to the internet. If they used it there, they could be traced and its address could be framed in international problems. Since the island was not supposed to exist in the first place, they could not defend it with political means and risk investigation. Supply routes would be cut off from the island, transporting food and supplies, which would kill off the island indirectly. The one called Matsu and the silver-haired male swordsman must be trapped there at the moment. If they were to be transported by ship, their vehicles would be investigated and all it would take was one blood sample to identify them. If they were to transport by air, the same would occur except from an airport. It was why the information alien could not attempt to find me. That was the world of politics for you.

"Unfortunately my clients come from different countries and organizations coordinating with each other so even if you found one and destroyed one, another would take its place." Normally I do not talk about my clients but that was only during the job. After the job, ask, if you could find me, and I would tell anyone about them unless I was ordered to keep my mouth shut about them during and after the assignment.

"We thought this may be the case so we captured you for another reason: to assist us in solving the problem."

I narrowed my eyes. "You're saying that like I will help you for free. I do not work for free and I will not work for you even if I am forced"

"No I suppose you won't. But you will work with your own free will" The swordsman sounded like my cooperation is already decided.

"Ho? And why is that?" I raised an eyebrow at the woman's words.

"You winged a sekirei and became her ashikabi."

Sekirei ashi what now?

"He did what and became a what?" Usagi voiced my thought.

"He kissed number eight and became her partner" The woman bluntly said. "You are the first ashikabi to wing a sekirei and even the MBI does not know the effects of it. So unless you do not want to cause your death by some unknown trigger due to the winging, I suggest you work with us with full cooperation."

I clenched my teeth at that.

Dang it. She's right.

They used number eight and did a winging, as she called it, and it is something that neither I nor the MBI know of. By doing that, not only does the MBI get to use me as a test subject to study the effects but I have to _allow_ them to do so unless I cause some unknown reaction that could kill me or worse. Dealing with the unknown should be avoided at all costs. I experienced many examples throughout my life. One of my jobs was to transport an unknown box to an organization that studies rare artifacts. After I dropped it off they did not even have a chance to study it. They were all killed by some unknown cause as soon as they touched it. Unfortunately, I would have to deal with the unknown or my life was in possible danger. That means I could not charge them for something I was doing with my own free will. I still don't know much about these aliens called sekirei and my options were limited.

I could just agree to this without complaint but there were two problems. There is no guarantee that the MBI will not be "gentle" in its research on me. If the MBI has to research me, I would rather do it through trial and error or just normal checkups instead of being dissected and cut open while still being alive and checking on various parts of my body while also testing drugs and other things to see if it will have any effects.

Yeah. That is a big no-no for me.

Another thing is how they will treat me when they are not studying me. They said I will assist them with getting out of their problem but what will happen after that? Usagi and I were the only ones who knew about the sekirei while other people just know that the MBI is getting their technology from Kamikura Island. Will we be treated like prisoners after I assisted the MBI and they gathered all they need? Usagi has no value to them so it is extremely likely that they will dispose of him as soon as I have gotten them out of their current situation. He will likely be treated as a hostage to "motivate" me into helping them. I would have let him die but I took him under my wing and I will not accept that I got someone killed when they are my responsibility. At the same time, he is not involved in this and due to how hectic this will be being getting, he will be killed. I am training him, but I need more time but in this situation, and time is something I do not have at the moment.

It means that I will have to let Usagi go. A shame too, we did not even get to the good parts yet. Honestly, training Usagi was not as boring or annoying as I thought it would be. If you have to ask why I took him in, I would just say that he offered his life as an exchange. That is true but it is not the whole truth. He reminded me of someone who was in the same situation as him. That person was also weak and wanted to help others despite it. But as time progressed, he became strong enough to fight on par with even the most powerful beings. He was more annoying than Usagi in so many ways. No that was wrong. He was the most annoying person I ever met in my life.

But he was my best friend.

I thought that Usagi would end up the same as him but the circumstances before were more… complicated. Due to those complications, I trained him no matter what occurred. With Usagi it was different. I did not need to train him despite these circumstances and at this rate, he would only be pulling me down. I could kill him but there was no reason to. He learned to keep his mouth shut and I made sure of it. Plus, the only people who knew about his connection to me was the MBI so I could let him go with his life.

So how do I convince them to treat me fairly during my cooperation with the MBI and also allow Usagi to leave this mess despite being surrounded by four super-powered aliens called sekirei?

Well it was pretty simple if you think about it.

"Well I got no other option do I? Well I give up." I finally sighed as I stood up from my laid down position.

"Of course you do. Now come with us back to th-," The purple haired swords. She never had a chance to finish that sentence as I did something nobody expected.

Dealing with super-powered aliens and their speed is a problem. If they are on guard, they can move faster than I can so all I had to do was lower it by not presenting myself as a threat no longer. The only way to do that was to giveaway e up. Only by words. So as the woman was talking with everyone's guard being down, I reached into my back pack before anyone could react.

And aimed my pistol at my head.

The only sound that was present in the dark night was the drops of rain coming from the sky. Karasuba grinned. Kazehana raised a hand to her mouth, surprised at my unexpected actions. The purple haired swordsman and Usagi just raised their eyebrows at my action. And number eight…

Number eight was staring at me with a look of pure horror and panic with her body tense. I wonder why.

"If anyone moves I will pull the trigger," I said, no longer with my bored and lazy voice. I was serious. This is not the time to do this without my full effort.

Everyone did not move until Karasuba spoke up with her usual seductive teasing tone. Her expression was like a mother telling her child to stop doing something dangerous in a careless way. It seems she did not take me seriously. "You should really stop playing with that Zike-kun. A boy your age shou-" She lifted her hand as if she was about to point at me.

She froze as did everyone else as I pulled the trigger without hesitation.

_Click_

But I was not dead.

"That was just a warning shot, the next one is loaded. Do you want to try and test me?" My expression was dead serious. I took out a bullet before I aimed a gun at my head because I knew that they would not take me seriously unless I proved it. It would not get anything done if I killed myself here. The next shot was really loaded.

There was no second chance.

"Well, we have a bit of a problem now don't we?" Karasuba said that as if it did not matter. She could not trick me. I knew she and the rest of the woman had to bring me back alive.

"Yes you do. I will kill myself if you do not agree to my terms"

"Well we can't have that. You have been chosen for the new age of the gods. It would be a shame if you just ended yourself here." A new voice sounded in the night. It came from my pocket.

I know that voice. It was hard to forget. As I pulled my phone out, slightly damaged due to the impact that number eight caused moments before with the pistol still aimed at my head, a person's face appeared on the screen.

Hiroto Minaka. The current president of the MBI. Seems like he hacked my phone. I wonder if he was listening the whole time but that doesn't matter right now.

"Hiroto Minaka. Are you still doing your porn?" Despite my serious demeanor, I couldn't help but take a jab at him.

"Cute. But we have business to discuss don't we? We are running out of time so state your terms. I would not like to have delays in my plan unless they are the fun interesting kind." Hiroto Minaka was still the white haired in a white suit man from before on Kamikura Island. He had an expression that showed amusement and he was sitting with one leg resting on the other with his hands clasped together in a chair.

"My first term is that you allow Usagi to leave this matter without being harmed. He does not need to be involved with this sekirei business"

"Wait what?" Usagi had a look of defiance against my decision.

"Done but he will have to keep his lips sealed about the sekirei and anything else he has seen. If he leaks information, we will have to eliminate him." Minaka probably did not even care about Usagi one bit. He was only interested in me due to becoming an ashikabi or whatever it is called.

"That is fine." It really was. Plus I doubt anyone would believe what Usagi said anyway. He is not stupid.

"Hey wait. I thought you were going to help me ge-," Usagi started, voicing his disapproval at the developing situation.

"As of right now, I am no longer training you and you are to leave the city right now," as I turned my gaze from Minaka to Usagi.

"But I offered my life for you to train me." He was furious. His expression was one of anger with his wet, black hair covering his face only a little bit.

"And now I using it to make you leave this matter and training you at the same time to not be involved in matters that you are not ready for. The situation has changed. You should be experienced at this point to do whatever you want at this point as long as it is not too big." In the two years that I trained him, I just taught him the basics. He will survive longer than any average mercenary or soldier or whatever he'll be. The women around us and Minaka was silent. They had no reason to interfere with this conversation. This was a personal matter and interfering would not benefit them at all.

"Are you really just going to drop me off like this. Like I will get in the way?"

"Yes" I answered without missing a beat.

"But that is the reason I asked you to train me, to not get in the way!" Usagi may be annoying but his intentions were simply naive.

He wanted to protect others.

Over the course of training under me, Usagi never killed a single person unless they truly deserved it. He wanted to protect others and be a hero to all. He did not want to get in the way of anyone but wanted to be in front of them and solve matter himself. He was young and naïve, asking me to train him to become a hero since he did not have the experience or knowledge to obtain the title himself.

If the circumstances were different, he would have become one of the best ones. Unfortunately he will have to settle on being an above average one. It left a bad taste in my mouth but it had to be done.

"If you are hesitating that much I can kill you right now. Leave Usagi. I am done with you." Coldness in my voice as I said that, I could not really kill him right now. I had my hands full with a pistol aimed at my head and a phone with Hiroto Minaka on it.

"…Fine… I get it." Usagi said that with an empty tone. He was clenching his fists right to the point where they were bleeding. His hair covered his eyes as he turned to walk to his car. Everyone had their gazes on him but said nothing.

* * *

"_So are you really going to train me?" Usagi couldn't restrain the glee in his voice as he jumped up and down like a kid who just got a birthday present. The sun was setting at this point with the skies a little clouded._

_We were walking toward an unknown destination. I currently had no clients at the moment so I was currently traveling to another place across the world to wait for one._

"_Yes now shut up or I will change my mind," Voicing my irritation at his current state. _

_I was going to be training someone while also doing assignments for clients so I had to make sure he stayed alive._

_It was going to be very annoying time with him._

"_Sorry," He did not sound sorry at all "but I can finally do something at last!"_

"_You didn't do anything at all before? Such a useless person," With my lazy and bored tone, he would probably be cursing at me._

"_Yeah I guess I am aren't I," The ex-soldier wistfully._

_I blinked. I did not expect that._

"_When I was about 10, my house was robbed. I had a nice family. Nice parents. Even an adorable little sister that would always ask me to read her a story in bed. Though she blamed me for a lot of trouble that she did herself, she always wanted to stay near me, as if I would always protect her. I did. When she was bullied one time, I fought the bullies but wound up getting beat up myself until an adult came. She kept apologizing and crying even after I said it was alright. It was touching"_

"…"

"_When we were robbed, my dad tried to stop them. There was too many of them but still tried to stop them. They shot him in the chest and when he was in pain on the ground, shot him in the head. My mother tried to get me and my sister but they stopped us from doing that. When they tried to rape her, she resisted so they shot her too. They did not let her die instantly and just kept shooting until she died from blood lost. I was held down as they tried to do the same to my sister, still looking at her brother as if I would protect her and save her from the pain. But I couldn't. They raped her again and again, forcing me to watch, commenting on how tight she was as they kept thrusting, calling her brother to help her. It wasn't until the police came until they finally stopped and fled, leaving my sister a broken mess. Afterword, she never spoke again. But she still looked at me as if I would protect her. It was painful._

_Usagi stopped walking and I turned to face him, tears streaming from his eyes as he recalled the painful memory._

_He collapsed onto his knees with his hands on the ground, head staring at the earth._

"_I couldn't do anything. I couldn't protect dad. I couldn't protect mom. I couldn't protect my sister from them. I couldn't do anything damn it!" Becoming strong and protecting others was probably the reason why he joined the military in the first place._

_I let him cry and wail. My expression was not one of boredom, laziness, seriousness. _

_It was one of no emotion._

_How many times have I heard the same type of story? How many times a client has come to me, their bodies broken and me their only hope? How many times have I caused such destruction and sadness? How many times have I seen men, women, and children cry as they pleaded to spare them but I did not answer?_

_Far too many I decided. I saved people from misfortune but also cause it._

_And it was not likely that I would ever stop._

_Usagi stood up and wiped the tears from his ears. "So maybe I am useless right now. Maybe I cannot help anyone with my current condition. But you are training me to get stronger and protect other people, so I can't help but get excited."_

"… _Do not expect your training to be easy." After a few seconds, I said what I could and started to walk away._

"_I know. I am looking forward to it," He ran up to catch up to me and started walking behind me._

* * *

As began Usagi drove away, I couldn't help but say one thing to him as I closed my eyes, recalling the memory.

"… Be well Usagi"

"Shut up you asshole"

Annoying little brat.

Usagi then drove away into the dark raining night. I had no idea where he was going and I did not really care. I am done training him and he is own now.

I never saw him again.

"As touching as all this is, it is cold and raining, and I don't want to catch a- achoo!" Kazehana sneezed before she could finish her sentence.

Yeah it was time to hurry and wrap this up. It was still raining at night and cold. Also holding up a pistol to your head is tiring.

I want to take a nap.

"Getting back to business," Acting like nothing happened moments before, I continued my previous conversation with Minaka, "I want a guarantee that I will not be mistreated when studying what is happening to me at the MBI. That means no dissecting my body to see how this ashikabi thing works."

"We were not going to going to do that. We treat our studies with respect. Who do you think we are?" Minaka had still had a face of amusement and insanity.

I ignored him to continue our negotiations. This is going to be the one with the most trouble, "Third and last term is that I have free access to all the data in the MBI and that I have full access to anywhere within the MBI. Before and after I cleared up the mess right now."

"Done"

Wait what?

I raised an eyebrow at Minaka for an explanation for his easy acceptance of my last condition. "Think of it as a sign of trust. Backstabbing is too much work and worrying about betrayal occurring is something neither of us want. Do we have an agreement Zike?" The white haired man grinned as he awaited my answer.

I thought about it and could think of nothing else. "Yes. We have a deal." So I am going to be studied and working with the MBI at the same time. The former because I apparently became an ashikabi and the latter because of the situation I put the MBI in. I could have free access to everything within the company. This was important because if I was going to be studied, I needed to know what they find out about me during their studies. I also needed to know more about the sekirei since number eight is apparently my partner of whatever they call it. So just help the MBI with no worrying about betrayal.

Maybe this won't be annoying as I thought it would be.

"Excellent. Then I am putting you in charge of the disciplinary squad and handling the mess that we are in!"

"… Minaka you idiot," The purple haired swordsman closed her eyes as she did that, probably restraining herself from something.

"The heck is the disciplinary squad?" With a confused look I voiced my question.

"The woman in front of you. Plus the two other sekirei who were at Kamikura island. Bye now." With that, the president's face no longer appeared on my phone.

"…What?"

I take back what I said before. This is going to be _extremely_ annoying. Minaka probably put me in charge because what the sekirei were doing before was just protecting Kamikura Island. He probably did not have as much as experience me dealing with matters such as what was occurring right now. That means neither does the sekirei before me.

That means I am dealing with super powered aliens that are my responsibility who probably do not know much about the customs of this world and will likely get into trouble if I am not watching them…

"uuuugggghhh." I couldn't help but moan and palm my face.

"Awww don't be like that Zike-kun. We are going to have a great time." Kazehana smiled at me as she said that. She probably is excited about this new development.

"Well it looks like you are our boss now Zike-chan. I look forward to working with you." Karasuba grinned as her expression was one of amusement. Oh God I am going to be working with the blood thirsty woman every day.

"…" The purple haired swordsman did not say anything and just stared at me with cold eyes. I could just feel the love.

I blinked as I realized something. Number eight did not say a thing since I woke up. I looked toward her as she stared at me with a blank face.

"…What?" I couldn't help but ask with a raised eyebrow.

"…You still have your gun pointed to your head," She deadpanned.

Oh yeah forgot about that. It was there for so long I forgot about it. I lowered my arm and put the gun back in my backpack.

Then she flicked me in the stomach.

It felt like a sledgehammer just slammed itself into me. Did she just get stronger? I looked at her face before I lost conscious.

Oooohh crap she's pissed. I don't even know why.


	5. Past: Act 1 - End

"…"

"…"

"… Stop staring at me. Don't you have anything better to do?" Annoyance was present in my voice, the first words spoken to the women since we left Japan.

"No. I do not have anything better to do." The voice that replied was mostly filled with no emotion but there was a slight tone of anger if one careful listened to it.

"Well find something to do or just go to sleep. I am not going anywhere if that is what you are thinking that I will escape." Normally I would just ignore her like I do to most people but this was going on for too long. She had been staring at me for three days and we have at least two weeks to go.

"I am not thinking you are going to escape. I would never doubt your trust Zike-san. I promised to stay by your side." That makes me feel so warm and cuddly. I could just feel the gentleness through your emotionless and angry stare you annoying alien. "But what I cannot accept is what you did before," And with this, she narrowed her eyes at me as if she is trying to scold me.

"You're going to have to be a bit more specific. There are a lot of things I did before." Shot a gun at you. Killed at least a hundred people in an explosion. Tried to kill you with an explosion. Shot a gun at you and your alien friend… again. Almost killed said friend soon after. And these were just the things I did a few days ago in only a few hours.

I wouldn't say good times due to the fact that I am still healing from the sword wound on my chest. Annoying bloodthirsty swordswoman.

"You put a gun to your head as if you were going to kill yourself" Her eye twitched due to the fact that I did not know what she was talking about.

"…And?" I just raised an eyebrow on what she was trying to say. So what if I put a gun to my head. I am still alive right... no wait. That could change. The woman's fist is glowing and shaking. She better not aim it at the ship. We were still in the middle of the ocean at the moment. We are currently on a ship three days away from Japan and headed to China to take an airplane to Russia. The reason we could not take a flight directly to Russia was because stealth was vital and there were spies all over the airports in Japan.

See it is an annoying thing really, how I got into this situation. One of my clients hired me to commit terrorist attacks on drug and medical companies so that nations could use it as an excuse to provide 'Protection'. This 'Protection' is blockading any ships or planes from reaching Kamikura and spying at Japan's airports. They did not have spies everywhere so it was easy to go to a port and secretly take a ship. This whole thing had a purpose.

To cut off the MBI from Kamikura

No matter how you look at it, Kamikura is an uninhabited island and therefore it was impossible to survive without supplies being sent. It was a tactic that was used due to continuous failures of invading the island. The MBI could not just get rid of them through politics because my attacks killed some foreigners who were visiting at the time. Politics are extremely annoying. The company also could not get rid of them through super powered aliens because not only would their existence further attempts to invade the island but also make them take more desperate measures. A cornered animal is a dangerous animal. Even if the MBI could attack them, most of their attack force is in Japan. They could not return to the island because of the blockade. The island's residents would soon die off from limited supplies, making it vulnerable for attack.

Which is why they hired me to fix this situation… the one I put them in. How ironic. I was the only person they could rely on to solve this problem because despite the MBI's advanced technology, they did not have an official military force at the moment. I was also in charge because even though the aliens may appear human, they do not know the basics of how to act in society. The reason they could not use the so called disciplinary squad, the one I am in charge in, was because, again, they are supposed to be a secret.

…And here I am about to expose the secret in a few weeks through violent means. Screw secrecy.

I am currently within the bottom of the ship I am taking with number eight staring at me, sitting so close our bodies were almost touching. It did not matter to me where she sat so I was not bothered by the close proximity. It was by chance that I found this ship travelling to China and all I had to do was pay a small fee to get a ride. During the night of my second encounter with the annoying aliens and after being knocked out, number eight carried my unconscious body back to the MBI tower. Then she hit my head against the wall by accident, which woke me up.

Woke me up only to punch the woman carrying me in the face. I did not like being interrupted from my sleep.

After that, and being dropped to the ground after my sudden attack, everyone went to bed as it was a long night. Except for me. I snuck out alone in a few hours and went to look for a ship. The squad was probably expecting me to head with them in a few weeks rather than me heading out alone in a few hours. I did not want to do my missions with anyone but myself. It was not a matter of pride or arrogance but something that I gradually got used to and now perform on habit. If I worked with others, there was always a chance that they would not follow any plans, backstab, or pursue their own agendas. Going alone was a lot less annoying.

I _tried _to go alone. Unfortunately, the brown haired alien confronted me as soon as I reached the exit to the tower. How she knew I did not know but she was firm and unrelenting when deciding to stay by my side. I tried to lose her various times by either traffic or crowds when we were heading to the port but she always managed to find me and stare at me as if telling me escaping from her was useless. After the fifth attempt, she put grabbed my arm and pulled it close to her like it was some teddy bear until we finally reached the ship. It certainly got a few odd looks due to my bored looking face and number eight's somewhat blank one.

Annoying bloodhound aliens. My arm is not a teddy bear.

My thoughts were interrupted as the glowing from the angered woman's hand diminished. She took a deep breath and when she finished. Looked me straight in the eye with an intense look. "Do not do something like you did before again." Her voice held a firm coldness that hinted that there would be consequences if it was disobeyed.

"No" And with that she narrowed her eyes at me. "It is not because I want to, which I don't, but usually the situation progresses into where I have no choice but to take drastic measures." For some reason, my assignments always turns out to be bigger than what it originally was. Some person out there just wants to make my life more annoying. "For example, you and your friend trying to kill me just a few days ago."

Number eight blinked and remembered that, yes, a few days ago she did try to end my life. She quickly avoided eye contact as if to avoid bringing up that event once more. "That… That was an accident. Karasuba-chan did not tell me that we had to capture you." The brown haired woman quietly spoke, lacking confidence, a great contrast from her usually toneless voice.

"And that is exactly the point. Lack of information. There is no living being that could possibly no every little thing that could and will happen. Anything can happen and therefore, I have no control over a situation where my life is in danger. In order to survive, drastic measures must be taken such as my attempted suicide." Even though I had a lot of experience as a mercenary, experienced countless situations, it did not mean I could decide how a situation could play out all the time. I can get the job done no matter what but _how_ I get it done is something that is almost always out of my control. You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink.

So restrain the horse and drag its head into the water to force it to drink. It's all about adapting to the situation.

I thought that would be the end of the conversation but I was soon proven wrong. "Then I will make sure you no longer have to make those kind of decisions. With my power, I will protect you Zike-san!" Confidence found itself in her voice once more as she looked me in the eye. However…

"Power is not everything," Number eight prepared to speak but I added on before she could to crush her response, "I avoided getting killed when you and the woman called Karasuba tried to kill me in the sewers. Even though you both are more powerful and possess special abilities, I survived despite my disadvantage."

"That… That is because you are stronger than me and Karasuba!" Her expression was increasingly getting worried and showed signs of pain. As if I would care about your feelings. Reality is merciless, deal with it.

"Last time I remember, you knocked me out with just a flick of your finger. It looked like you weren't even trying." Number eight's expression showed pain as if she was a puppy who got kicked. She lowered her head and I took that as the sign that the conversation ended in my favor. With the sounds of the ocean impacting against the ship, I closed my eyes and leaned back against the wall to go to sleep.

"…I'm sorry"

"Ahn?" How long was is she going to keep this up. All I want to do right now is sleep. I lifted an eyelid toward her but soon after, raised an eyebrow.

She's crying. Tears flowed down from her face and she hugged herself, fists clenched as if to give herself comfort from the pain she was feeling. "…I'm sorry. I am…so sorry." She was struggling to speak.

"Before… before I was broken. I could not… I could not find anything worth living for. All of my fellow sekirei could get winged but I… I could not. It was painful. It hurt… it hurt to know that people you know… will live happily except… except for me." She tried to hold back the tears, cover her eyes as if to stop them but found she could not.

"I couldn't do… anything about it. Nothing. I had a small hope… that the people that took us in… could help. But after trying so many times… they… gave up. They… gave up. By then… I could do nothing… but accept the fact… that I would not… be happy… that I could not find something to live for… someone to live for."

I stayed silent as I listened to her confession. There was simply nothing I could say at the moment. "When you found me… I… I was confused… confused why… why a person would bother meeting a person… like me. Others avoided me… like I was not even there… but you… you noticed me… you spoke to me… and when you took me in… when you took me in…" She looked at me and both my eyes lifted to their usual half lidded state once I saw her face.

She was smiling. Despite crying so much, despite her being in so much pain, she smiled. "I was happy"

"I was so happy when you took me in… when you fed me… when I fed you… when we ate together. When I fell asleep against you… you felt hard yet… so warm… it was the first time… the first time that I felt so safe… so relaxed… so safe… so…happy."

She once again lowered her head, hair covering her face but the tears still falling, glistening as they fell onto her lap. "When you left… I felt hurt… but I waited… I waited for I knew we would meet again… it was even more painful than before. Every day… every day... I waited for you to come… so I could feel your warmth… so I could feel like I had something to live for… every day. It was torture. I could barely sleep… could barely keep myself together."

"When I finally heard of you again… I was excited... excited to meet the person that could make me feel so much… so much emotion. When I was believed I was ordered to kill you… I didn't care… I honestly didn't care" The crying woman raised her pained face to look at me once more, to show me how she was feeling only to suddenly wrap her arms around me and bury her face in my chest. Her tears soon started to drench my shirt as she cried more than before.

"I just wanted to meet you."

"I wanted to meet you so much. I couldn't stand it. I just wanted to see you. I didn't care what I had to do. I just wanted to see you. To see your unusual bored face… your almost emotionless face that looked at me… the face that belonged to the person that gave me so much happiness yet… so much pain. I knew… I knew that you could probably care less about me… that you thought that I was just an annoying person... but when I looked into your eyes when we fought… those empty eyes… I felt even more pain…" More pain? What could be so unusual about my eyes that it brought it more pain? They looked normal to me.

"I felt pain because… because even though I felt so much pain in my life… even though I suffered so much… how could the person in front of me be more empty… more in pain than I was… I didn't understand… I just didn't understand… Why? Why… Why am I chasing after someone who is causing me so much pain… why did I hope that you could heal my agony… when you couldn't even heal your own? Then… then I decided… since I could not heal my own pain… I would try and heal yours… so you could heal my own… so I tried to make you my… my… ashikabi… despite knowing that it could not work… that it probably would be a waste of time…"

She gripped my shirt as she wailed against it, clenching so hard that it looked like it was going to rip but even in her current situation, she kept her power in check. "I know it was selfish… I know that I was only caring about myself... but when I kissed you… I just… I just wanted… I didn't care about myself anymore and just wanted to help you…But how could I help someone that I tried to kill before? You punched me… you brought up the times I tried to kill you again and again… so… so am I useless even when I have an ashikabi? I keep thinking that question over and over again. Over and over ever since you woke up and… and… I don't know what to do…"

"I am in so much pain and I don't know what to do… what should I do? What should I do? My heart hurts… it hurts so much… and I don't know how to heal it… what… what…" The brown haired woman was losing her ability to speak clearly as she cried more and more against my chest. "What should I do?"

"So I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I am so useless. I'm sorry that I tried to hurt you. I'm sorry. I am so sorry."

I kept my face blank as the woman mourned and grieved against my body. Throughout her whole confession, I made no move to give her comfort, no words spoken as if to help relieve her of her pain. Even when she was confessing, I could have patted her head or rubbed her back, or could have at least said 'it's ok'. But I didn't. It was not that I was so choked up with grief. It was not because I was so shocked at number eight's confession and condition that I could barely think. It wasn't even because I was afraid that I might cause her more pain.

_It was because I didn't care. I did not care about her at all._

Throughout the whole confession, I did not even feel a shred of sympathy. I did not care how she felt. What pain she went through. How long she waited or whatever. I didn't care. I have already heard similar things in the past. Though it is extremely rare for it to be directed toward me, the number of times counted with only two hands, it is no different from what I heard in the past. It always the same thing. Intense emotions expressing how they feel about the events occurring to them. It is always the same and with repetitiveness over the same annoying thing over and over again, comes my ignorance and apathy towards others in general.

I know that I am cold. I know that I am heartless. People could even say that I am a demon or monster. But I don't care. All I care about is working for my clients and getting the job done. That is all there is to it. I will cause so much destruction, pain, and hate but I could care less. Completing what I was assigned and working for various people no matter who they are is my purpose. That is all there is to it. What should you do Number Eight?

Die. Die and save me all the annoying problems you will cause me in the future…

Is what I would say if I was in a different situation. Unfortunately, she is needed and I cannot do what I am going to do without her. Despite coming up with many ideas to get the MBI out of its current situation, they all required number eight's abilities. It was annoying that I could not do this by myself but adapting to situations is what I am used to doing. Not only that but I still did not know what this ashikabi or sekirei stuff was. For all I know, if she dies, I die too. She is involved in my life whether I like it or not. But that does not change how I see her:

An annoying tool that is only used when absolutely necessary and that has to be alive. Nothing more.

If she thinks she is useless, then she is useless. If she thinks I hate her, which I don't, she is annoying though, then I won't change her mind. If she is sorry, I could care less. If she really wants to make herself useful to me then she should figure out where she stands before she even thinks of trying anything. Not in terms of position or authority but in a much smaller yet much lar-

Wait… what the heck? Why am I thinking about this? At first it seemed like my thoughts were my own but it shifted focus to Number Eight. It may seem like nothing but I still did not know how these aliens work. I quickly ceased my thoughts and looked for Number Eight. She was no longer on my chest shedding tears but sitting up straight on my bed right next to me, pondering something. I narrowed my eyes at her but she did not notice. Her eyes were focused on the floor with her hands in a position much like the 'thinker'. The brown haired woman looked like a crying wreck moments before but now she is just fine. She must have gotten over it quickly.

…Gotten over it quickly… how exactly? Was it possible she… no she would have shown signs of it before… but maybe it's a rare occurrence… I can't be sure until she slips up at some point. If she does show signs… maybe I am being paranoid… wait these are aliens.

Annoying aliens. Annoying alien theories.

I'm going to bed. I'll think about this crap when I get an explanation on the sekirei at the MBI. Number eight could have information but I doubt it would be as detailed and thorough as I need it to be. I did not bother getting out of my clothes and lifted the sheets to tuck myself in. As I got comfortable I reviewed the plan I will execute once we get…to…Russia…

Wasn't Number Eight on top of the bed a moment ago? Also what is pressing against my back? It feels kind of large and soft.

I shifted myself until I was facing the opposite direction and soon met the face of Number Eight, a few inches from my own. Her curious brown eyes was staring into my similarly colored emotionless ones. I took a quick glance down and found that all she had on was a bra and panties. Her creamy white skin seemed to glow and with that hourglass fi-

NO. Stop. Shut Up. Stop Staring. I am not interested in that kind of stuff. Think logical things. Yes…logical… wait.

Why the heck is this woman in my bed? Her own bed was across from my own. Furthermore, how did she undress and get into my bed so quickly. It only took me less than ten seconds to get into the bed. We stared at each other but each with different intentions. I wanted to know why she is in my bed. From her eyes, I could tell that she was curious why I was acting strange, as if this was normal.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Ah" She voiced her surprise at the current situation. She must finally realize what she is doing and either must be providing me an explanation or getting out of the bed.

"…mmm There!" She shifted her body until it was pressing against my own, wrapped her arms around me and buried her head in my neck since I was a few inches taller than her. She then moved the sheets until it covered us both evenly, providing us warmth for a calm and peaceful sleep. She looked into my eyes and I stared at her blankly with my eye twitching on my calm face. She smiled as if that was the sign that everything was better and buried herself against my body more and crossed one of her legs over my own. The brown haired woman exhaled a sigh of content which I could feel on my skin, her hot breath causing some of my strands of hair to rise.

"…"

"…zzzzz"

She fell asleep…

My twitching left eye increased and I decided to get out of the bed and go to another one as I was too tired to deal with explaining why I sleep alone. I tried to get out of the bed but the freaking alien woman pulled me tighter against her and snuggled even more, restricting my movement and my escape.

Oh God I forgot about the super strength. Forget it. Waking her up. Explanation beats sleeping with her by a large shot.

"Get out of my bed" I voiced this in her ear so loud, yet not a shout, that the whole room we were in echoed my voice. Because shouting is annoying. The woman only buried her into my neck more in response. Okay. Plan E failed. Plan H comme- Oh crap I can't move my arms to punch her.

"…You… feel… so nice Zike-san… I… missed your… body… it's… a great pillow" The woman sleep talked as she fell into a deeper sleep.

Wait until we wake up with a punch to your face. That would be quite nice to you wo-

Breasts pushing against me. Oh crap the breasts!

* * *

_I have been in pain… ever since… I was a child… in the physical sense... and the mental_

_I could hardly… sleep at first… the pain… always interrupting… my slumber…_

_But… I do… not regret… it…._

_Because I chose… I chose to receive the pain… I chose to endure it…_

_It… is always painful to walk… to move… to speak…_

_To live…_

_But I walk on… to fulfil a promise… I made… to a friend…_

_Even though I know… it is impossible to complete… the promise…_

_Even… though I will… walk a useless… path as if to complete… it…._

_I hope… An empty hope… that I will fulfil… the empty promise… that could never be fulfilled…_

_Ever since I... started… to exist_

_But why… is it… that when I sleep… against this person… this person who is clearly…_

…_not human… the pain lessens… _

_But… It doesn't matter… the pain… lessened but… it is still present…_

_So I… will struggle to sleep… once more… enduring it… both in mind… and body…_

_With the person… clinging to me… sleeping with me… _

_...Annoying… _

_Why is… it annoying?_

…_Even though… I experienced this…_

_Once… before… with another…person…_

_Not…human…_

…_Annoying…_

* * *

The cold wind was howling throughout the land. The blizzard obscured the vision of those who dared step foot within the frozen wasteland. Frozen ground was what met my feet as I moved forward against the raging blizzard. Snow kicked up as I took each step but it did not lower my speed despite its thickness. Even though the blizzard whited out the space in front of me no matter where I turned, the goggles in front of my eyes helped me slightly navigate through the frozen wasteland. The woman behind me did not have the equipment I had and instead, grabbed onto my white trench coat that seemed to blend in with the environment even while it was blowing in the direction of the wind. Her tight grip hampered my movement slightly but not enough that it would be a burden.

Number eight and I were wearing thick white leather coats to not only protect ourselves from the cold but to blend in with the frozen tundra. The only reason I paid for her coat is to protect her from freezing to death and therefore possibly killing me. Annoying scamming clothing stores and their expensive prices. Cost a lot but the coats did their job. We still kept some of our previous attire even though we changed into coats. Number Eight still kept her grey cape with a bird crest on her shoulders and I kept my one strapped backpack. I also kept my trench coat over my winter one. Never leave home without a trench coat.

I stopped walking suddenly which caused number eight to bump into my back. She was probably curious why we stopped but I ignored her and pulled out my phone. It was extremely difficult to see the screen as every time I wiped off snow, more would cover but I managed to get what I needed from the map. We were only about one hundred meters from the military base so it was time to prepare. It was currently the afternoon so we needed to get this done before sunset which is when the blizzard will die down.

After leaving our ship after two weeks of sea travel (and avoiding the woman from sleeping with me with great difficulty), and travelling by plane, we arrived to Russia, one of the largest countries in the world. It took longer than expected to reach the large country due to spies also being present at the Chinese airport but we managed to evade them since there were only a few because of most of them being in Japan. If the spies caught wind of our actions, it would only put the MBI in a deeper hole then they are already in.

The reason why this requires so much discretion and sneaking is because of one thing: We have information, they don't. Despite many countries sending their troops and scouts to Kamikura Island, they all died before reporting their information. Not only is it causing questions to be raised by the people within the invaders own countries but it is causing them frustration to no end. They were desperate which was why they resorted to the blockade. They had no reason that could be presented to the public about why they made attempts to invade the island, but they have a reason to blockade it due to terrorist attacks. Aka me. But they made one mistake.

They told me to perform the attacks without letting anyone know who did it.

If the public knows that I committed the attacks, a few people might recognize me and my profession and quickly figure out I was hired by someone. It would suck for all the governments if the people found out that they were the causes for the attacks. Unfortunately, they did not know that I was now currently working for the organization they are against. If they knew, they would use it to their advantage but they don't so I could move somewhat freely without being discovered.

We are in Russia to gain attention and expose the extraterrestrial beings, slightly though. They would not know our true identities but it would be enough. Due to many countries greed to acquire the same technology the MBI has, they would take any lead not involving Kamikura since it was causing too much attention. After what we will do to the base, they will no longer blockade the island and they will go into a wild goose chase within Russia. It would only be temporary though but it would give enough time to make plans to deal with them more appropriately and thoroughly. The reason I chose Russia is because the country is so large. It would take a long time before anyone could confirm anything. All we needed to do was make sure that we leave proof and also make sure the proof cannot be done by _a human_. So how will we leave proof and give countries an excuse to go to Russia?

By brutally killing everyone within a military base built for training recruits.

There is a reason for this violent action. In this day and age, aliens as viewed as monsters, demons, and whatever evil term you could think of. If something was stolen, would you pay attention? Maybe if it was something important but not really. What if someone died? People die every day so it is nothing special. What if a lot of people died? Your attention would be drawn to it more than usual news but still not enough to keep it as again people die every day. What if many military recruits died? People would get angry and want to find the cause of it since recruits were viewed as innocent as babies. But they would blame it on another country or just categorize it as a terrorist attack.

What if military recruits were killed in such a way that it was inhumane and could not be done by any terrorist, private army, or country? Not only would massive attention would be drawn to it but it would cause something that leaves a more massive impact.

Fear

A country's main purpose is to protect its citizens from any threat. If only two beings attacked a military base which is supposed to protect people with so much brutality, it would cause citizens much unrest. Not only that, but they would barely have any information on it. Where are they? Who are they? How did they do these things? Why did they do these things? The unknown is something that all humans fear and I will use it to my full advantage.

It was one of the reasons why I allowed Number Eight to come along despite my hesitance. Her power to wield light is something that could not be done with human hands. If she killed people using her powers it would be considered alien. Most of the other aliens I have seen so far have swords and elemental powers. It is easy for someone to cut someone in half with a sword but how do you explain someone who has a gaping, singed hole in their stomach?

I reached into my backpack and pulled out a white mask with two slits for eyeholes. I handed it to the woman behind me which caused her to look at me in curiosity as she took the mask. "Wear it. You need to disguise yourself." Even though we are making ourselves known, we cannot make ourselves completely known. We still needed to get out of Russia after this. I pointed in the direction of the base while the brown haired woman was getting her mask on. "Kill everyone on the left side of the base using your powers as much as possible." I did not know how the alien's powers worked. If she accepted it without complaint, it would mean that her species could use their powers whenever they want without fear of a price. I really wanted to be wrong as dealing with aliens that could use powers with no limitations would be extremely annoying.

"Yes Zike-san." The now white masked woman nodded at my command and leapt in the direction I pointed without delay. Dang it she could use her powers whenever she wanted! Just perfect. The blizzard soon engulfed her form and I could no longer see her as I watched her go. She could move without my guidance due to the mask covering her face now and shielding her from the raging blizzard.

…

…She followed my command without hesitation. It is easy to forget while she may look human, she did not think like a human. Her species were probably not aware of morality or what humans consider right or wrong. I could be wrong though. She could just be doing this because I am her 'ashikabi' from what she said before. Maybe they were more similar to a dog. From what she did on the ship before, she obviously wanted affection. Is this ashikabi thing some type of master and slave relationship? If so, how far would she go? Would she kill herself if I told her too? What if I told her to kill her own friends? Number eight may hesitate since she feels emotions just as human do. I am going to apparently be working with her kind for a while now. It would be foolish not to think about possibilities and making up theories. Even though I would probably receive information later on, they probably would not tell me all of it. They would only inform me of what was necessary. Getting as much information as I can is the best I could do at the moment and in the future.

I may have to kill them in the future and knowing how they work will make destroying them a lot less annoying.

I shook my head to rid myself of these thoughts. I could think about this later. Right now I have to focus on my current task. The information I received on the base is from the locales from towns within Russia. All I needed to ask is where they could not go and where I could recruit for the military. They were very suspicious at both me and Number Eight due to our different nationalities. Number Eight looked Japanese while I looked African American. Of course you would get suspicious if some people wanted to join a Russian military. Fortunately, they did not care about it too much since I showed that I could speak Russian and told me what I needed.

A wise mercenary who needs a job needs to know languages. Only then would he/she not look like an idiot among clients.

From what I got from the towns surrounding the base, it was very large and divided into two sections, a left and a right building with a training ground out back. From my guess there should be about 25,000 troops. Since this was a training base, there would be few high ranking officials yet a lot of recruits. They would most likely sound the alarm once Number Eight is inside the base due to the blizzard hiding her but she should be fine. From what I saw with my fight with her weeks prior, she is no rookie in combat. Plus with her abilities, she should be able to kill anyone that stands in her path with ease. At this time of day, most of the soldiers should be indoors especially with the blizzard going on outside. The base was about 20 miles away from any sort of town and with the storm, no communications would most likely be down.

The base was on their own.

I started walking in the direction Number Eight headed. Even if she is a power extraterrestrial being, she would have trouble taking on over twenty thousand soldiers. The problem is not her abilities but her stamina. Even though she could probably use her powers without worry, running around and dodging bullets still take energy. If her specie's body is anything like a human, even though they may have more energy than any human on Earth, it was not unlimited. Taking into the fact that her powers cover a very wide range and the corridors within the base, I predict that she could at least take down about 16,000 soldiers before tiring out. I needed Number Eight alive so I cannot let her die so easily.

As I approached the base, I could hear the alarms ringing out and soldiers shouting but no fleeing. It appears they thought they could take her since she was only one person. I could hear distinct sounds coming from the left side of the base which means Number Eight followed my orders correctly. I sent her in ahead of time so I could make my move with ease. Pulling up my hood, I covered my face so I could not be identified by security cameras.

Walking through the entrance, I made a right turn, taking a slow leisurely pace. If I ran, that would mean I was in a hurry. More fear would generate if I was treating this as if it was nothing special. I could hear gunshots from soldiers and loud rumblings from explosions but I ignored it and continued on. My destination should be underground so there should be an elevator after passing a few corridors.

Russian shouting sounded in my ear around a corner. "HEAD TO THE ARMORY ON THE DOUBLE! IF I SEE EVEN ONE OF YOU TRYING TO DESERT AND RUN, I WILL MAKE SURE YOUR LIFE IS A LIVING HELL! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR PRIVATES?" A Commanding officer. I need to kill him and confiscate his body for some type of card. Access to most of the base is what I needed at the moment.

"SIR YES, SIR!" And with that I heard loud footsteps heading in a direction far from my position yet a single pair of footsteps approaching my own. Must be the officer. I heard the footsteps stop as the person heard me approaching and quickly silenced himself. It seems he wanted to attack me with surprise. With my slow pace he must be judging my distance and determining when to reveal himself to attack within accurate shooting range.

This would be a problem. I can't attack anyone by using a gun. In order to make this mission a complete success, I needed to attack with brutality. I took big steps but kept my pace the same to deceive the man waiting to ambush me. "FREE- what?" The man jumped out from the corner, his gun raised but was startled when I was in his face instead of a distance away.

That would be his last mistake.

Quickly using his surprise to my advantage, I jabbed a finger into his right eye. The man screamed in pain as blood started pouring from his now empty eye socket but I did not stop there. Using the bloodied hand that took the man's eye, I made my hand flat and more precise and forcefully shoved my hand into his throat. The red liquid erupted and covered my body with the man's blood as he collapsed unto the ground, trying to breathe yet finding his throat blocked up. He tried to aim his gun at me but the pain severely hampered his attempt. Every time he tried to shoot, he always hit the wall instead of my body.

Ignoring his attempts, I gently pushed the gun away so it could no longer try to point itself at me and searched the man's body. The blood made it hard to do so but I eventually find a key card to get to my destination. The man was gasping in pain and agony as I did this in a slow and leisurely pace. Before I could start to walk away, I felt a wet hand grab my ankle as if to prevent me from performing my task. I turned around to look down on the man once more and with my face covered in a shadow, I looked down on him.

I did not even try to find out his emotions or even give a shred of pity. I did not care. Lifting my foot and brought it down to smash his head, spilling more blood on my legs and the floor. I did not even bother to look back at what I done or change my emotionless expression.

After completing the deed I headed into the elevator which was close by and inserting the card, hit the number for the basement. Listening to elevator music, I just stood there, body covered with blood, and face hidden from the cameras. People would be focusing on the light wielding alien and be too busy to notice me which caused my ride in the elevator to be uninterrupted. After hearing the ding I stepped into the room I would be soon destroying.

The power generator room

It was empty as most of the men went to deal with Number Eight. The sound of the rotors and machines sounded in my ears. There were more than fifty machines in the room as it took a lot of electricity to power an entire base. Reaching into my backpack, I took out C-4 charges and started to place them where it would cause more damage. I couldn't take any with me to the airport for obvious reasons so I found a black market in Russia to obtain the explosives. I would be using all of it and there would be only one item left in my backpack. That one item is always in my bag, rarely used. It was about to be used today.

I stepped back into the elevator and pressed the number that led back to ground level. After a few seconds, I hit the detonator for the C-4 and could feel the compartment I was in shake. The lights went out as there was not enough power to keep it going. Everyone within the base should now be aware that there wasn't just one attacker. Even though I destroyed most of the generators, the remaining ones would divert its power to the emergency lights which were the red blinking ones and the alarms.

_Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooo_

I sighed and reached into my backpack to pull out another mask, much different from the one I gave Number Eight. Even though the red light illuminated the compartment, it was easy to distinct the details. The mask was large enough to cover my face but was made of a hard metal material so it did not cover my whole head. If one had to look at it, they would say that it was very similar to the mask 'comedy' in theater. The mouth and eye slits were black and thin but the eyes were large enough for viewing, shielding the eyes in the process. They did not represent theater to me or 'comedy' to me.

It was a trigger.

_Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooo_

Even though I am mostly cold and apathetic right now, even though I may be heartless and cruel who takes lives without a single shred of empathy, in my current state:

I was being soft.

_Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooo_

Even though I am human, just like Number Eight's species, I do not think like one. Although I do not think like one, I have two personalities. One for dealing with society and communication. It is this personality that I always use not only for the purposes I mentioned but also to complete jobs I am assigned. In order to complete a… long-term assignment, I always keep this personality on at all times. But there are times when that is not enough. There are times when I needed to be more cold and heartless than I already am.

That is my second personality. The trigger is the mask.

The mask is just a mask. It does not provide any special powers or abilities. It was not enchanted or give the user increased abilities. If one were to put it on, they would not feel anything different. It was just a hard, plain old mask. To be honest, I do not know why or how, but it is always the trigger for my second personality. I discovered it completely by accident when I was performing one of my jobs and had to put on a mask for a disguise for a party. I couldn't remember anything from the time I had the mask on but after I took the mask off… I could only raise an eyebrow at the scene that was in my eyes. Oh the people at the party were dead yes. All of them. Women and children. Yada, yada, yada.

But it was _how_ they died that caught my attention.

_Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooo_

After the event, I tested it out by buying a completely different mask but found that it did nothing. For some reason, only the comedy mask was the trigger. I only used it once after the party and never used it again as it was interfering with my long-term assignment…

There was only one other time I used the mask…

That time… that time is… is probably the only time I would feel regret.

_Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooo *Ding*_

The elevator door opened and soldiers were in front of it, weapons poised to shoot the intruder that took destroyed most of the generators.

I put the mask on as they opened fire.

Then everything went black.

* * *

...

* * *

"Annoying… soldiers…more… than… a… thousand… never again." I was panting with my face directed toward the snow on all fours. The blizzard died down to only a wind that lightly blew on my trench coat.

Why was I outside? I should be inside…the…base…

I froze. A thick and nauseating smell entered my nose. After a few seconds, I identified the smell.

Blood. It was so thick that I coughed a few times to get used to it and almost threw up at one point. I am familiar with blood but dealing with a lot of it at one point instead of taking it in gradually gets even me to feel nausea. I turned my head to look toward the base but stopped myself midway through. The smell was getting stronger with only just the turn of my head. I must have already finished, no point in looking back to check. I felt something in my hand and my face went back to its bored expression.

Yep. No need to check at all.

I stood up and found myself weighted down a little. I looked down to see what was cau- oh that's why. That defiantly explains the smell. I was covered in blood that stained my all-white attire red. The smell was revolting and I may have to ditch the trench coat for a new one. Not the first time. There were currently no wounds on me as I felt no pain from any part of my body. Other than feeling a bit tired and winded, I was pretty much the same as before.

I really didn't like that mask… but it got the job done nonethele-

Wait… I was forgetting something… maybe someone…

I looked up and saw Number Eight in front of me. Oh yeah that was who I was forgetting. Despite wearing the mask, I still kept the important things in mind. It's like an electric collar on a dog. I directed my gaze toward her face, no doubt, horrified at what I done.

"You…You," Here comes the annoying moralit- "YOU ARE SO STRONG!"

"…Eh?" I found myself blinking as instead of a horrified, little girl face, I was instead staring at one that held amazement. Were those stars in her eyes? No I'm just imagining things. The woman in front of me was looking like she would pounce and her hands were fisted together under her chin.

"… Not human. I keep forgetting that" I should really be used to this sort of thing but you couldn't blame me. She was probably only the second person to see me use my other personality and live. I sighed and scratched my head. It doesn't matter now. I better talk before she starts to praise me and all that crap. At the moment, I was not in the mood… okay I am never in the mood but still. More importantly, "Did you kill everyone?" I asked the question that would have shocked and horrified a normal person.

Number eight stopped looking at me in amazement and instead looked embarrassed as she turned her head to scratch her cheek. "Well… I let some of them go" I narrowed my eyes and looked at her current state with more attention. There was not a wound a single wound or speck of blood on her. She took on more than a thousand soldiers and there was not a wound on her. Her powers probably disintegrated the blood before it even reached her. Annoying brown haired alien.

"…Why?" The alien woman flinched at my sudden cold tone and looked even more like a child being scolded.

"After they begged me… I felt bad about what I was doing… and let them go. But I made them promise not to do bad things." After that last part she looked at me hopefully as if waiting for a reward. Honestly, she really looked like a puppy. A really, really annoying puppy.

"Did… did I do well?"

"… *sigh* next time when I tell you to kill everyone-"

I pressed my thumb on the object on my hand.

_BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM_

The once populated army base behind me erupted into flames and I could feel the heat on my skin. We were a distance away from the building so the heat in this cold honestly felt a bit comforting. Though I could deal without the burning flesh and the loud sound in my opinion. The explosion most likely came from where the explosives are stored. Before I put the mask on, I kept in mind to take one of the explosives off a soldier and put it inside the armory. Right now, any survivors must be burning to death or have their lungs on fire from the intense heat. Not my problem.

"Kill everyone" I looked at Number Eight with my same bored expression with the flames illuminating my back. The brown haired woman's eyes lifted in surprise and a slight sign of sadness as she nodded. "Good"

"They… they were bad people so its fine I guess." Number Eight said this with a lot less confidence than what she said before.

What did she just say? I thought I misheard before but she definitely said what I think she said.

"Did you just call them 'Bad People'?" I raised an eyebrow at how she identified the people she just killed as.

"Um. They were bad people because they wanted to hurt my fe-" I interrupted her explanation before she could finish.

"They weren't 'bad people" It came out bluntly but whatever.

"…Eh?" The alien looked like she was having trouble understanding what I just said. "But… but people told me th-"

"That the people you fight are bad people?" Finishing her sentence, she nodded hesitantly. I sighed and pinched my nose in annoyance. Normally I would ignore something like this but if she was not aware of what she was currently doing, it would be an extremely annoying later on.

It was time to shatter her reality.

(Play Metal Gear Solid 4: Violent Ceasefire. watch?v=zfZCL4oRO1Q)

"The people you just killed were mostly innocent. They did nothing wrong"

"But… but I was told-"

"They told you wrong Number Eight. Every single person you killed. The thousands of people you killed were innocent. They had lives, families to protect"

"Then why did they shoot!" She was confused and I could see tears filling up in her eyes. "That means that they wanted to hurt others right? Right?"

"They shot at you to protect others and themselves. If you look at it from another perspective-" Oh look at that. She looked like she could not prepare for my next words. Too bad. She made this decision when she decided to follow me. It was her fault and all of this was on her head. I didn't care.

"We were the bad people"

With those words. Number Eight ran. She ran with so much desperation towards the flames that she could reach it in seconds.

But I didn't let her.

I put my foot out before she could make her way to the flaming inferno. This caused her to fall flat on her face. I looked at her and saw her reaching towards the flames that once held so much life. "No…No… I have to save them… they didn't deserve this…" She was wailing once more just like she did at the ship. "They… they… just wanted to protect others… they didn't deserve to die… they… they…"

"They are dead. And we both killed them all. Every single one of them. The people that you let go are probly screaming in agony from the flames. That is why I said kill everyone. Do you realize you made them experience torture as they are dying? Face reality Number Eight" I walked started walking away from the fire behind me and the woman as she cried.

She cried because she thought the world was simple. It was because she thought there was a good and an evil. The world was much crueler. The cost of victory is the pain of the defeated as one man once said. For one person's ideals to continue in the battlefield, another must be given up.

"Thinking in terms of good and evil is annoying and naïve." I finished all that I needed to say.

(Song End)

"Did you know that… did you know all of this beforehand?" The woman said this as she laid on the cold white snow with tears in her eyes. I faced her once more.

"Of course. I always did. I do not care who my targets are. I do whatever I have to complete my assignments. Women. Children. Innocent. Greedy. It doesn't matter to me. I kill whoever I am assigned.

Number Eight laid on the snow in silence after what I just said, no doubt pondering all that she has done.

"When I discovered I was broken, I was honestly jealous of my fellow sekirei. I felt that it wasn't fair that they could achieve happiness yet I could not… but I didn't hate them. No. I still cared for them dearly. Even though I would probably be viewed as a monster among my sekirei, I stilled loved them." She gripped the snow as she spoke words that I could barely hear. "The reason I am fighting right now is not only for you but also to protect them. I want to protect my fellow sekirei. But I realized what you said back on the ship. About realizing where I should stand before I make any actions."

I narrowed my eyes at her. I didn't _say_ it. I _thought _it. This proved my theory was right. She could apparently mind read but it looks like she did not realize it.

(Play Naruto Shippuden: Decision watch?v=NicSaNEFpEc)

She slowly stood up and gaze toward the flames of the deceased, her grey coat with a bird crest imprinted on the back. "I realized that I cannot simply choose both. From how you treated people before a few weeks ago… from how you treated these people now…" She clenched her fists so hard that they were bleeding.

"You treated them as nothing. You treated them as if they were not even looking at. I bet you didn't even care about their lives they had, their families, their dreams… their happiness." She clasped both of her hands and held them to her chest. "You threw them away as if they were nothing. I want you to find your path… but I fear that in the process… you will destroy the very thing I want to protect… my fellow sekirei."

"Even though I love you. Even though you are lost and I want to cleanse your darkness. Even though I want to protect you and not make you do any more things that will hurt you. I pledged that I would light your path and cleanse your darkness… but I realize that darkness is yourself Zike. Where I am deciding to stand"

She looked toward me, the flames lighting her back up and her grey coat following the wind. Her eyes no longer has the emptiness that was usually present. They held an intensity that I had seen a few times before. Hope and resolve. How annoying.

"I will stand with my fellow sekirei and protect them"

...Not that I care but I raised an eyebrow at what she said. She said that she wanted to help me but now she is deciding to protect her sekirei. That could mean only one thing.

"You do realize you are claiming I am your enemy, right?"

Number Eight nodded immediately after I said that. She really was resolved to this. But it looked like she did not like it as once more, tears started to come from her eyes. "I will defeat you Zike and protect my sekirei. I will defeat you my ashikabi" Her voice held so much confidence as if what she said was a fact.

I stared at her in silence. To be honest this could be a problem. I did not know how this 'ashikabi' thing worked. Defeat could mean in the physical sense. Defeat could be in the mental sense. Defeat could mean both. From what she was sounding like, she would hamper any future jobs I may have and may cause me to fail one of them at some point.

This was a serious problem.

"Well since you made your declaration, I will make my own." She tensed after she made her decision. Preparing herself for what is to come from the cold tone of my voice.

"_I will be the cause of your death_"

She was a threat. A threat that I currently could not destroy due to this annoying alien bonding thing. She will cause me to fail my assignments from clients and therefore cause me not to complete my long-term mission. I could not accept this. If I killed her, I might die. But if this was not the case. If I ever find out that killing her would not kill me.

I will destroy her without mercy.

Number Eight clenched her teeth. The woman probably did not like any of this at all. In order to protect her sekirei, not only will she have to against her so called 'ashikabi', which I think is a destined partner of some sort, but that same 'ashikabi' will be the cause of her death. The partner she always wanted, the partner she always dreamed for, the partner she hoped to spend her happiness with…

Is her enemy.

As the brown haired woman stood behind the raging flames, her grey crested coat still following the wind and as I stood behind the cold, frozen tundra, covered in the blood of thousands of soldiers, I could only think of one thing.

This is going to be very annoying.

* * *

I couldn't help it with the music. When I am writing, I am literally thinking of a random song in my head to suite the scene. It. Is. Awesome.

Oh yeah there is also the fact that Zike and Number Eight are enemies now even though they are bonded. But what about the thing that happened in the present? How exactly did that happen?

Well... I don't know.

No I seriously don't know.

I literally come up with this stuff on the fly so although I got the major events in my head played out, I still don't have the details that lead up to it all laid out. Working out so far though. It makes me more flexible to write and to cover up mistakes. This is more so when I am writing in first person. Like I said before, this is my first story so getting the personalities exactly how I want it will take time so if I did it in third person, it would be very likely that I would get frustrated and burn this stuff to the ground... so first person it is.

With this, Act 1 of the Lost Ashikabi is done. I will put out the beginning of Act 2 before I get back to work on The Two Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki. After about ten chapters in both stories, I will probably start working on a new fanfic. What is it based on, I have no clue but fingers crossed for reviews and comments. My goal, despite doing this in my free time mostly, is to make my stories as famous as the other authors such as Kenichi618, The Third Fang, Gabriel Blessing, and others. With my current writing ability and being just a beginner writer...

Probably not going to happen. Nope. Not getting my hopes up.

I am a very pessimistic person.

Comment and review please.


	6. Present: Act 2-1

"But I want to go! I want to see the world! Why don't you care about me?!" The woman whined as she clung me with a vice like grip that was hard to get out of considering her inhuman strength.

"Because you're a jobless, alien gorilla who does nothing but eat and sleep! Now get off of me! I am not going anywhere anyway." Despite it being futile, I still tried to remove the brown haired woman around my waist by pushing her face away. She is causing people to stare and gathering too much attention is annoying.

If one had to describe our situation, it would be similar to kids with a new toy... except the kids went through puberty and instead of a new toy it was a chance to travel around the world.

Annoying puberty

At the moment, Uzume is clinging to my waist after I said that I was leaving Japan soon. After I winged the pony-tailed sekirei, I was given orders by Higa's assistant to lay low for a while. Considering that I just winged one of the top ten sekirei, it was a reasonable decision. If we moved to soon, it would allow others to identify us quickly since the most of the participants are mostly doing nothing. Not only will it cause future plans to be much more annoying, but people may decide to either warn others or group and attack to protect themselves. My clients decided on just using me once every two weeks. I was their trump card and a trump card must always be unknown to others, used only when necessary. Plus there was another reason I could not move too much, unknown to Higa.

My past with the MBI. The only people who know of me to my knowledge a few sekirei and the MBI themselves. Considering that Higa did not know of me, the MBI must have either erased me from their databanks or stored it in a highly classified section. After what happened, it would be stupid not to. The organization must already know I am in Shinto Teito but are not moving because if the sekirei that know of me know I am here, or if the other sekirei find out about who I am and what I did years ago… let's just say it will be very bad.

Being a mercenary can be annoying sometimes.

So after my recent orders to go on break, I decided it was time to stock up on ammunitions and weapons. Shinto Teito is going to be locked down later on in the plan so I need to be prepared before that happens. I am not a fan of fighting aliens with only a pistol and my bare hands. Shooting them with a rocket launcher or sniper rifle on the other hand is a better option. Less chance of them getting back up when their vital points are shot through or their body parts everywhere.

I am very thorough with my work.

Unfortunately Uzume heard me after my call with my client and is now beg-

"I will break your legs so you will have to take me to get around. Take me or face my wrath" The pony-tailed woman now gripped my legs, staring at me with a face that promised pain if I refused her desires.

Correction. Threatening to take me with her.

It was understandable considering how most of the sekirei's lives were. They were all cooped up on an island undergoing continuous testing with little connection to the outside world. They were not allowed to leave Kamikura Island due to the risks of doing so. When they learned that there was a world beyond the white and silver walls, they must have been curious or even excited to learn about it. They got their wish only through books, computers, and videos. Their yearning must have only increased through those things, to experience sites that seem so unknown to them, taste food that made people perform exaggerated actions, meet people that was not wearing a lab coat all the time. They were only released years later after sufficient training of human culture and interactions.

They were no different from birds in a cage… which they actually are.

"I am not leaving Japan and I break you before you try to break my legs." I wanted to kick her but her position around my legs made it hard to. She knew I would try to kick her… which I would if I could.

"But you said you were leaving Japan. I heard you talking so take me with you!" It was strange how she could form understandable words with my hand on her face. Maybe it's an alien thing.

"I was planning on leaving Japan but things have changed." While my right hand was continuing to try and push the brown haired woman away from me, my left held my phone as I tried to call someone for probably the tenth time this week. I sighed as I received the same answer as before and proceeded to put my phone away to put my full strength into getting this woman off of me.

No answer. It was like this every time I called.

The person I was planning to go to acquire weapons from was part of an organization that specializes in dealing with non-human entities. After I worked for them a few times, I received free access to get whatever I want to exterminate anything not human. It was probably a tentacle monster that made them hate anything not human. Definitely a tentacle monster. Anyway, once the organization finds something not having human characteristics, they proceed to hunt it down and kill it with brutal ferocity. If I was not with the MBI years ago, the organization probably would have found out about it sooner or later and struck down the aliens the company was protecting.

But they should have found out about them by now. Their agents are all over the world in major cities and it would take an idiot to not to know something was up within Shinto Teito. Now that I think about it, after I left the MBI, I tried calling them a few times but when I got no answer, I just deemed that they were busy with their work.

Now though, I know it is not the case. Something happened there… and I don't care.

It just means that I have to get my weapons within the city. I just decided that it would be easier and less troublesome to get my weapons without worrying about the MBI's prying eyes but now I don't have that option. This is going to be an annoying job.

"Are you really not going?" Uzume looked at me with a pout and big wide eyes. Most of the males around us were gazing at her, no doubt having weird fantasies considering her hourglass figure, huge breasts, and beautiful face.

To me she just looked like a stupid hobo on drugs. I really wanted to kick the hobo.

"I am not going. Now will yo-" Before I could finish my sentence, I was forced to clutch my stomach in pain after the woman punched me in the stomach. Freaking jackhammer punch! Why can't aliens be weak for once!

"That is for getting my hopes up you jerk!" Uzume looked down on me as my body was bent as if to lessen the pain.

"What about when I called you a jobless gorilla? You don't deny that!? Oh god I bonded with a goril- GUFAW!" My lazy voice was interrupted as the alien upper-cut my stomach so hard that it lifted me from the ground and left me on ground in a balled up position.

Worth it.

The woman standing above me stared at my pain-taken form only to sigh and shake her head soon after. "Seriously, what am I going to do with you?" Her eyes then widened as she just realized something. "Wait… before I kissed you last night, you spoke to me like you already knew what I was. The sekirei plan is supposed to be a secret and I look no different from a normal person." She narrowed her eyes at me with her hands on her hips.

"Bull. You look nothing like a normal person." She continued to stare at me with a serious gaze, not rising to my bait at all. Looks like I am not getting out of this one with insults this time. "My client hired me to wing you and informed me of what you were. I only got close to you because I was ordered to. To be honest, I could care less about what happens to you from now on" I said this casually as I stood up and dusted myself off.

I do not care if my words were harsh or if the hurt her feelings. It was the truth. Despite what happened at the hospital a few hours ago and what my clients ordered, I am not planning on Uzume to be involved with my work. I do things alone and that is how I prefer things to be unless told otherwise. Higa said to wing her to help me wing the single digits. He did not say I absolutely have to have her help me.

The brown haired woman looked me in the eyes, pity present within her expression. "You really are lost." Her voice was somber contrasting from her usual confident voice. My eye slightly twitched at that answer. The woman's expression then changed to a mischievous one, a smirk stretching across her face. "If you really could care less, you would not be bothering to talk with me right now you liar." Unlike before, I did not react to what she just said.

It seems she misunderstood what I was trying to say. If she were to be killed or captured right now, I would care less about what happens to her. Talking to her does not mean I care. It is just a way to make my life less annoying. Not talking at all is more annoying. I did not bother to tell her this and started walking, Uzume following close behind. We were currently in a park with very few people passing us by. Most people at this time were either at work or at home since it was evening at the moment. The street lamps started to light up for the approaching darkness to light the pathways.

"So… where do you live?" The alien wanted to start a conversation with me instead of walking in silence.

"None of your business. You're not living with me."

"What! Why? I am supposed to be by your side. How am I supposed to do that if I don't even know where you live?" Uzume's outburst caused me to wince a little due to our close proximity. Why do people always scream in my ear? Inside voices is not a hard thing to do.

"From my guess, you were living somewhere before we met and considering you are jobless, what are you going to do about the rent?" The woman shuddered as if she just remembered something and looked behind her as if something was following her.

If nothing has changed, number one should still be looking after the inn. If Uzume suddenly left, she would get curious to see if the pony-tailed sekirei found her ashikabi. Of course Uzume may speak of me at some point in time if she stayed but hopefully she may not speak of me due to my personality. Number one will find out eventually of me but she does not have to know so soon.

Hopefully when she finds out, she won't try to hunt me down and kill me.

The pony-tailed sekirei's face went pale all of a sudden. "Oh shit I forgot the groceries."

"Impression down to negative twenty thousand. Really, I did not think you could go any lower." Uzume's eye twitch as I looked at her with mocking disgust. Was it horrible that I continue to insult her even in her time of panic? Unfortunately I barely have morals so in my case, no.

"Shut up! It's your fault for getting me distracted!"

"It's your fault for getting distracted."

"Arrggh! She is going to kill me! Just wait here. I will be back in an hour!" She quickly moved at speeds that would only be a blur to the untrained eyes and I could occasionally see her above the trees, using her inhuman abilities with ease and control.

"…Hmm Oh. Silly me. I forgot to give her my phone number and address. Whatever shall I do?" Talking sarcastically to no one in particular, I started walking away, ignoring Uzume's plea to stay put. Getting rid of her was easier than I thought. It will take her a while before she finds me again. The less she is involved with me, the better.

Before I could attempt to leave the park, I froze. There it was again. An aura with unnatural power. For some reason I felt a strange sense Déjà vu as I felt that this sort of thing happened before. My eyes scanned around me to identify the possible threat that may be planning to take my life and soon identified a figure sitting on a bench.

As I walked closer to the figure, I felt her aura was comparable to snow or more precisely ice due to how cold it was. It was hard to discern which one it was. The figure had one leg propped up while the other was in a cross-legged position. A lab coat stained red was all she was wearing and I could find no sign of any other garments on her. Her breasts were very large and as people passed her by, their gazes lingered for a few seconds on them due to its absurd size. Light, brown hair covered her head, parting away to show her somewhat sleeping face. People were avoiding her mostly because they did not want to deal with any trouble that the almost-naked figure might cause. I was approaching so I could find out where this weird sense of Déjà vu came from.

As I finally stood in front of her, she must have heard me coming as she opened her eyes to stare down at the ground, a depressed expression present on her face. "I am broken. I am a failure." Her voice contained emptiness and I could barely hear it at all.

"Ho? Since you are saying that it must be true. If you believe you are a broken failure, then you are." I am not a kind person to say 'you are not a failure or broken'. I could really care less what she was. All I wanted to do is find out why I have felt something like this happened be- CRAP!

My body tensed as I just remembered. This happened years ago with that woman. If I involve myself with this one, it would become extremely annoying as before. The depressed woman's face lifted only to see me quickly walking away. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. Don't care. Not getting involved. Forget this. Be broken and a failure just don't get involved with me. I have enough things to worry about now.

If I bothered to look behind me at least once, I would have found the woman's eyes locking onto me and at least have been prepared for what happened next.

I could no longer move forward as a pair of arms, for the second time today, circled around me. The grip on me was not painful but also not loose enough to break through with my strength alone. I felt large, soft things press against my back and warmth that came with it. Turning my head to find out who the perpetrator was, I soon found out that it was the woman, who was seconds before, on the bench. Annoying aliens and their speed. I would have dodged this if she was aiming to kill me but since she had no killing intent, it was impossible to do so, especially with that speed.

I managed to at least free one hand and I prepared to strike down the lab coat wearing woman restraining me. There is no way I am getting involved with something like this again. Rendering her unconscious, if not, killing her would make my life less annoying. There was no witnesses so I could perform the act with no consequences.

"Please… Zike… I have nowhere to go… you are the only… person I know" The depressed woman's voice paused in between her sentences and it held nothing but emptiness.

I paused halfway through striking down the woman. I know that voice. Raising my eyebrow and arm still poised to deal a lethal strike, I guessed the person's name. "...Akitsu?" It couldn't be but how else did she know my name?

The grip around me tightened after I uttered that name. "Ah… you remembered… me." Crap it was Akitsu. I sighed and scratched my head with the hand that attempted to kill the woman.

How annoying. It was only a day after I arrived in Shinto Teito and I already met someone from my past.

* * *

After telling the almost naked woman to let go of me, we sat on the bench next to each other. My arms were behind my head with one leg over the other, my gaze toward the night sky. Akitsu was in the same position as when I met her before except instead her eyes were directed toward me. We were arm's length away and the only possible reason that she is not sitting closer to me is because of fear that I might not like her to be close.

After a few minutes of silence, I finally spoke up. "So… you're a broken number now." Despite the situation, I still maintained my bored face and lazy voice. After I got a closer look of the woman, I found the sekirei crest on her forehead. Weird that the same crest was not on the woman I met years ago.

Akitsu shifted slightly and I looked down to see the grass slightly frosting a little due to the aliens abilities. I looked toward her and she nodded her head at my question, her face still depressed as ever yet her eyes locked on my face. "Yes… I am broken…" She said nothing more and continued to stare at my face.

I stared back at her for a few seconds before returning my gaze toward the sky. The last time I met Akitsu was on Kamikura Island. She was not a broken number at the time so it must have been recent adjustments that left her in this state. When the adjustments gone wrong and she became broken, she must have escaped by fighting her adjustor. It was the only way to explain why she was wearing nothing but a blood stained lab coat.

I felt no pity for the woman next to me. To be honest, I would have left her by now if it wasn't for the fact that if I did so, she may kill me in her current state. If I left her, it would cause her more pain, and a cornered animal is a dangerous one. Not only that, but I could gain information about what happened after I left the MBI. Seeing how she does not want to kill me, she may be the only source I have to find out what happened. Going in blind will be almost suicide…

Well I was planning to go blind into the suicide situation anyway. At least this way it will lessen the suicidal part. Maybe it will lower to 'similar to suicide' if I gain info.

Before I could ask any more questions, Akitsu beat me to it and asked her own. "Aren't you… going to treat me… like a failure?" She tilted her head after she asked that question while still maintain her gaze on my eyes. Is staring at people her hobby?

"You could be the ugliest and stupidest person on the planet but I would still treat you the same as I treat everyone else." Which is disrespect towards everyone around me, throwing insults and sarcastic remarks whenever possible, and shredding no sympathy or concern for the people around me when they are in pain or dying.

"Ah… Thank you" Akitsu just continued to stare at my face as if what I said went over her head completely.

"That wasn't a compliment. In fact I just insulted you." I could only stare at her in my usual half-lidded eyes at how she took my answer.

"You did that… before too… I am used to it"

"… Do you like people insulting you? Are you one of those people who likes pain and being insulted?"

"I… like to hear your voice"

"Hear my voice insulting you and not giving you any sort of kindness whatsoever?"

"…Ah"

… Still waiting…

"…Yes"

"…Why?" If I remembered correctly, most people do not like how I treat them at all. Usually they retaliate with their own remarks or through acts of violence that causes me annoying pain. Like that alien gorilla Uzume. She is a good example. I should probably continue to insult her to see if something is happening to the world just to be on the safe side. Of course I am never safe wherever I go but whatever.

Her gaze left my face for the first time in a while and she stared at the ground. "I do not know why… but every time I hear your voice… my heart races." She put her hand on her breast or more specifically at where her heart should be. Akitsu then looked at me in the eyes and despite her expression being depressed and empty. "Zike… will you be… my master...I know… that I am broken… but I want to be useful to someone… useful to you… I will do my best…" She then got on all fours and started getting to move closer as she spoke more. Despite this, I did not move or speak at all. "Please… Zike…. I want to… be your ashikabi…"

Her face was only a foot away from my own and I could feel her warmth radiating from her body. If I was a regular person, I would say yes and jump her then and there. If I was a regular person I would probably be turned on by all of this. If I was a regular person, I would be sad to see such a women begging for someone to take her. If I was a regular person, I would care.

I am not a regular person.

I did not want to be her ashikabi at all. In fact, I really did not want to be involved in the sekirei plan in the first place. The only reason I am participating now is because I was hired to. That is it and nothing else. My goal is not to win or to acquire as much sekirei, or even try to run away from competitors. My goal is to complete what I was hired for and take my leave to work for another person.

With that being said, acquiring more sekirei who will be involved with the things I do is something I do not want at all. I work alone and I even planned to leave Uzume so I could do so. I did not want to be any more involved with the sekirei than I already am. Doing so will only make my life much more complicated and annoying. These aliens are expecting me to treat them with affection and to care for them. They are expecting me to give them comfort and for me to give special attention to. Why can they not realize that it is all for nothing?

The sekirei are the opposite of what I am. Where they seek affection, I seek nothing.

If I said yes to be Akitsu's ashikabi, I would not care for her or give her what she hoped for all her life. It is better for her not to be involved with me at all. She should find some other person to be her ashikabi. Being with me will probably only disappoint her and likely cause her pain. Despite myself thinking this, a question formed in my mind:

Why did she want me to be her ashikabi despite having met me before? Surely she must have known that I will care about her if the insults and lack interest towards her appearance and condition if that is anything to go buy. If that is so, why did she persist to become my sekirei? …Whatever. It does not concern me. I am not planning to involve myself with any more sekirei unless I am ordered to. There is no reason to ask 'why' if I do not even care in the first place.

"Akitsu, I will no- ow," Before I could finish my sentence, a fist planted itself on top of my head triggering myself to utter a lazy yelp of pain.

"You were planning to leave me behind weren't you?" I turned my head and met the glare of Uzume who must have finished shopping and dropping off the groceries. Dang it I spent too much time here. Now that she knew what I was planning, it would be extremely hard to get away from her now.

"…Well I couldn't understand what you were saying with your gorilla language so I sought a translator. Right Akitsu?"

"Ah… yes." The woman wearing a lab coat probably only agreed with me to please me.

"Akitsu translated what you were saying and you said," And here I raised my voice a bit, "ditch my gorilla self and leave me behind. My beastly urges forced this bond between us. We should never see each other again. I don't want you to see my fat, ugly, retarded self." Voice returns to lazy one, "Right Akitsu?"

"Ah… yes."

"See? I have a witness and an experienced translator. Even now it is hard to-" I didn't even get to finish my sentence as Uzume once more punched me on my head then followed up with a punch to my stomach that made me go limp with my eyes gazing toward the stars.

How could she hit me? I was just translating what she is saying. Why is she going all tsundere on me?

"I am starting to think that becoming your sekirei was a mistake. Maybe I should force you to learn proper manners" The tomboy sekirei started to crack her knuckles and I swear I could see her eyes glowing.

Well it was kind of hard to tell since my face is currently under her huge breasts and it was covering her face. It made it look like the breasts were talking. Would the forceful learning really teach me manners if that was the case? I'm too young!

"Wait aren't you a broken sekirei?" Uzume's voice carried an edge of hostility to it as she realized we were not the only ones here at the moment. If I remembered correctly, broken sekirei are sekirei that could no longer be winged because they spontaneously winged themselves. Basically it means they grew so great in power that she cannot be winged and is considered a danger to herself and the world around her.

Kind of like poisonous mutant snakes on steroids… don't… don't ask.

I heard shuffling which must have been Akitsu feeling uncomfortable at being called a broken number. The air got colder slightly but I think I am the only one who noticed that particular change. "Ah…Yes."

After a few seconds of silence Uzume spoke once more. "…My name is Uzume, nice to meet ya." Despite her voice no longer having hostility in it, if you paid close attention to it, you could hear a slight trace of fear. She must have decided not to anger Akitsu lest she kills me in her anger. She was close enough to do so and Uzume would not have time to pull me out of harm's way.

"Ah… Akitsu." After a bit of a pause, Akitsu introduced herself to her fellow brown-haired sekrei.

I would have joined in and made a sarcastic remark about this situation but unfortunately my body is still limp from Uzume's punches. Staring at breasts in silence it is. I wish they would move out of the way so I could see the night sky. It has a much more interesting view then some pink t-shirt covered breasts.

Annoying aliens and their punches.

"So… what are you doing with my idiot ashikabi?"

"Oi! You are pretty stupid yourself you frea- gah" Another punch met my stomach after I finally gained the ability to speak until I lost it once more. Silenced once again before I could finish. Did she do that on a reflex?

"I want him… to be my… ashikabi…" The woman drawled out her answer with a few pauses in between.

If you wanted to be my ashikabi, why aren't you protecting me from this woman's punches! You're supposed to prove yourself by protecting me not ignoring the pain I am going through!

"Why do you want to be with a useless ashikabi like this one? Plus you can't even be winged so what's the point." Then Uzume punched me again after she finished her sentence as if to stop me from speaking up. Dang you woman!

"I know… I cannot be winged… and I know he is rude and unkind…" Am I just being ignored while also being insulted while being silenced against my will by aliens claiming to 'protect' me? This world is so cruel.

"But… there is no other ashikabi… I'd rather have… than him…" I tilted my head toward her and raised an eyebrow.

She was smiling. She was smiling with happiness yet also with sadness. She did this while staring at me as if I was her precious thing.

…Annoying woman.

"… Fine. But if you so much as cause a scratch on him I will kill you, broken number be damned." Uzume's voice once more carried a tone of hostility. I can just feel your concern for my body radiating from your fists that punched me seconds ago.

"I will protect Zike… forever and ever." Despite myself barely hearing Akitsu's voice, I noted that it still contained emptiness. She seems like she is really resolved into doing this or she is just waiting for a chance to stab me in the back. Even if I were to say I do not want her, she would probably still follow me regardless of what I say. After all, it happened once before. Annoying.

"Yeah I guess we will have to protect an idiot like this one from danger won't we? He gets into trouble easily." Uzume moved over behind Akitsu to put her arm around her, flashing her a grin.

"Ah… yes." The light-brown colored woman continued to stare at me.

"But first we need to get you some clothes. You look like a homeless person. Wait… where are your panties?"

"Ah… I forgot"

I could only sigh at how this situation is playing out. It is out of my hands now and I doubt my words would change their minds. I didn't really care in the end. If they want to be my sekirei, though I really do not care, they can do whatever they want. I already told them of the consequences of doing so and using force is too annoying which would cause more problems to occur.

I am surrounded by annoying women… Annoying women who treat me like crap.

I shifted my gaze toward the sky once more. This is going to be-

Wait… what the hell is that?

As soon as my eyes looked toward the sky, I spotted something dark red in the sky. It wasn't extremely bright but bright enough that it seemed out of place and strange. I narrowed my eyes to see if I could identify what it was and found that it was getting larger and larger. It wasn't _something_ but _someone_. I focused, and tried to read the aura of the person approaching. It appears the person is experienced with hiding its aura but it was useless against someone who deals with things like that on a daily basis. Once you are used to completing assignments that are suicidal, you start to find out neat tricks that make things less annoying. It is really useful especially when you ar-

My body tensed as soon as I identified the aura and my eyes widened in alarm.

**"DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"**

… Judging by the intense bloodlust and intelligent, complex words coming from the aura, I think I should-

"GET AWAY NOW!" I don't know if it was my voice filled with panic or if they just sensed the danger approaching but Uzume and Akitsu immediately did as I told them and jumped back a few meters from where they once were. I did not have the superhuman abilities so I just rolled off the bench and started running as fast as I can. At first there was silence except for myself panting from running.

Then the crash came. Eight seconds. That was how much time I had to run and if it was any less, I would have died.

The ground trembled and cracked no different from an earthquake, making it hard to keep my balance. The area much closer to the impact were forcefully torn from their place on the ground, concrete and dirt flown throughout the park. I covered my ears lest the intense, loud sound would damage and make me deaf for a short time. Darkness soon took form throughout the park as the lamp lights either had their cables disrupted, or were torn up from the ground only to collapse as it could not keep its balance on its own. After all of this occurred for almost a minute, the effects caused by the crash started to decrease and then ceased all together.

Then there was only silence.

After covering myself from the effects of the impact, I started to dust myself off and started to look around to see the damage done. It was a huge mess. The lamp posts that once lighted one's way now obstructed them as the metal constructions littered the ground. Their sparks were in a frenzy and would shock any who came close. Where there was once grass, the dark brown dirt covered where they once were and only a few of the common plants were left rooted in their place. The trees endured the onslaught but most of them lost their leaves and branches, making them appear as if it was the season of fall. I could see some of the leaves descending slowly to the Earth after it was picked up by the wind.

And this is only what I saw surrounding the impact site.

The site itself was hidden from view by dust as the crash most likely destroyed anything it came into contact with. I put my foot out and realized that if I put my weight into it, I would fall. I don't know how deep it was but considering that I was at the edge of the crater and I ran about sixty meters from the bench, it was deep.

"Zike are you alright!" I could hear Uzume's voice sounding panicked and worried across from my own position. Looks like she survived and if she is alive, Akitsu is most likely to be too.

I did not answer. I did not _dare_ answer.

It was because what I saw glowing in the center of the crash site:

The blood-red light that caused this destruction in the first place.

Even though I could only see the glow and the dust was obstructing anyone from seeing inside and out, I could feel the thing of what caused focus its attention towards me. I didn't even move much or make a sound for someone to identify where I was. But glow and the attention were not the problem at the moment. They were definitely a problem but it paled in comparison to what I was feeling from the thing at the center.

Hate and rage. So much hate and rage that I knew it would try and strike me down if I moved even a single muscle. It was so intense that if I was not use to this kind of stuff happening to me in the past, I would pass out from having trouble to keep my breath.

As the dust started to clear up, I could start to make more details of the thing. The thing started to make out a form and it appeared extremely similar to a humanoid. The glow that once lit up the sky lit up the inside of the crater and the remaining dust. It did not come from any sort of flashlight or anything involving electronics. It came from the overwhelming power of the figure. It was so powerful that it radiated as it could not be contained within the figure, taking of the form of sparks erupting every few seconds. It was probably what protected the figure from dying in the crash.

The dust finally cleared up and I was finally able to identify the figure and I knew I this would not be a friendly greeting.

The figure, a female, had a deep black, tattered cloak moving slowly along with the wind, damaged from the crash. The shadows from the cloak and the cloak itself prevented me from see the lower parts of her body but from how the cloak touched her, I knew she was not large being. If that was the case and judging by how she appeared to stand well enough on her own, she was most likely very well built. After scanning her body, I finally reached the face.

Her skin and white hair seemed to glow in the dark night. Despite the situation, I found the face to be very beautiful and model like. It showed a young age appearing to be in its twenties and unblemished by the destruction it caused, almost calm. Deep red eyes filled with resentment stared into my own that would cause fear to take place in those not experienced with dealing with it. If they could not deal with the eyes, they could definitely not deal with the scythe on her back, extending past her head a bit despite being slanted. I couldn't help but compare it to an abyss as it did not have any color at all except for the bladed part which reflected like a mirror, showing my narrowed eyes in the distance. Even though it would look hard for her to carry, I doubt she would have trouble swinging it with ease.

We stared at each other, neither of us moving as we both could tell that if the other moved, the fight would start. No that was wrong. It wouldn't even be a fight. All I have is a pistol with eight bullets and a knife. She would probably kill me in the time it took me to grab even one of them and if I was able to grab one without my life being extinguished, I doubt it would be able to harm her due to the power radiating from her. It wouldn't be a fight. It would be a slaughter.

"ZIKE!" I heard Uzume once more and saw her in the corner of my right eye, making her way toward me with haste to protect me from the threat in front of me.

Was. _Was _in front of me.

In a split second, the woman barely moved and she vanished from my view despite my eyes never leaving her, making cracks in the ground where she once was and causing a bit of dust to rise. I did not even have time to think before I felt a presence behind me. It only took a split second for the scythe-wielding woman to get behind me. A glint appeared in my left eye quickly approaching me at a speed that was hard to follow.

You know that moment when you feel like you are going to die? When you feel as if time is slowing down and you cannot hear anything but your own thoughts. Yeah, considering that I have time to think right now, it is happening to me. It is not the first time I experienced this but usually I am in a position to do something. Unfortunately this is not the case. I could not do anything to affect what is going to happen in the next second. I could not do anything to somehow miraculously find a way to get through like I did many times before. I was not someone with extraordinary powers who could change the situation in an instant. I am a human and I could not change what is going to happen:

_I am going to die_

I could hear the scythe approaching me, hissing as it cut through the air before it was encased in a block of ice that connected to the ground. It took less than a second to do so but even so, it was so close that it was only a few centimeters from my stomach. I looked to my right and found Akitsu standing behind me facing the woman attempting to take my life. Not wasting any time, I stepped forward to escape the range of the scythe and turned around to face the threat and Akitsu.

"You will not harm my ma-" Akitsu did not even have time to finish as the woman adjusted her grip so that instead aiming to hit with the bladed portion, she aimed to hit with the metal portion in the opposite direction. With absurd strength and speed, she broke through the ice and twisted her body including the scythe so that the deadly blade was quickly approaching Akitsu's neck. The ice-wielding woman once more summoned ice in between her and the glinting blade. The scythe dug deep into the ice but it did not reach Akitsu's neck. I heard flapping much similar to flag being blown by the wind and Uzume appeared in my view, covered in white cloth like I had seen once before, poised to strike the woman with her sheets looking sharp like a blade from above.

The three of us did not expect the struggle to end in ten seconds.

I could sense power coming from the scythe before a red explosion erupted in the ice it was encased in. Right next to Akitsu's head. The ice shattered into pieces and I could see blood as Akitsu's body flew and impacted the ground. She did not move again.

The white-haired woman merely turned her head to avoid Uzume's precise strike and let go of one hand holding the scythe. The pony-tailed sekirei choked as she found her neck gripped by her opponent in front of her instead of striking her down. In vain she tried remove the grip from her neck and prepared to aim her sheets at the attacker before she found her head smashed into the ground. I could see Uzume's blood leaking from her head and the scythe-wielding woman raised her scythe. In a blur, she slashed through Uzume's back, blood erupting from the wound.

"Gy-GGGYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAA" Uzume screamed in pain and agony. She was silenced when the white-haired woman kicked her hard in the head, knocking her unconscious. She soon turned her attention to me and gripped me by the mouth to lift me up off of my feet. Brown eyes met red ones once more and I maintained my bored expression despite what has transpired.

"…Hmph" The emotionless woman then let go of her other hand on her scythe and thrust it into my stomach. It was painful. If you ever had a hand shoved into your stomach you would think so to. Gritting my teeth to bear with the pain, the woman extracted her bloodied hand from the hand and let me fall forward a bit until my ear was next to her mouth, her voice cold and heartless. "…Death will not come to you yet. It will come when the truth is shown to the unknown. When it does, I will end your life."

I sensed power coursing through her arm gripping my mouth before a small explosion erupted from her palm. I passed out before I could even start to feel the pain but before I could, I spotted one thing on the woman that did not make sense to me:

A sekirei symbol imprinted on the back of her cloak.

* * *

…What?

Did you really expect Zike to win all the time? I bet you were thinking "With Uzume and Akitsu, Zike can do anything. Plus Zike took on Karasuba and Number Eight at the same time so he is going to be SO overpowered. Trololololol… lol."

Yeah… yeah no.

Great beginning to five-chapter arc two if I do say so myself. If I say anything more right now, it will probably be spoilers. I will either post a new chapter in the next few weeks or get back to work on the Two Tailed Jinchuriki again. Ugh. I know that I am still a beginner, but I still can't help but get annoyed I can't write a decent beginning to stories. I suck at the beginnings but after that it is easy as pie. What the heck.

Anyway comment and review please.


	7. Present: Act 2-2

"_You killed my father!"_

Is that so?

"_You are a monster!"_

Is that so?

"_I will never forgive you!"_

Is that so?

"_You are a hero!"_

Is that so?

"_Thank you for saving me. You have my deepest gratitude"_

Is that so?

"_What will you do now? If you try and kill me, I will kill the hostages"_

Is that so?

"_I will kill you!"_

Is that so?

"_Hey I made a drawing!"_

Is that so?

"_Everyone in this town will meet their end and you will take the blame."_

Is that so?

"_That is an ancient artifact! You can't just destroy it!"_

Is that so?

"_Do you know what you are doing fool? You are preventing mankind from evolving!"_

Is that so?

"_I hate you"_

Is that so?

"_I think I might like you"_

Is that so?

"_Ha! Look at those people burning! Their screams are like music to their ears"_

Is that so?

"_I will die in a few days"_

Is that so?

"… _You do realize it yourself right? You will never be able to fulfill that promise"_

…

…I know… but I can never give up.

"_Hmph. Is that a promise you are trying to fullfil or a curse you are trying to break? It is hard to tell the difference between the two"_

… Is that so?

* * *

My eyes opened and I breathed in fresh air as I regained consciousness. I lifted myself up to a crouching and noticed I was no longer in the park with a crater and crazy woman but instead in a forest of some sort. Even though there was sunlight beaming through the leaves of the trees around me, it was impossible to tell exactly where the sun's position is. Looking around, I could see nothing but trees and grass that was very healthy.

I narrowed my eyes not at anyone in particular but in of focus. This is a dream. But that should not be possible. I do not have dreams, only nightmares with annoying pain. So either I must be overdosed with drugs or the more likely explanation would be that a sekirei had something to do with this. The reason why this is a dream is because I remember being stabbed with a hand and I need to wake up right now. If I went to sleep immediately after my encounter with that woman, then I still must be at the park where either random sekirei or worse, the MBI, will appear. Encountering either one of them will only be annoying.

Standing on my legs, I started to walk through the forest. This dream should not last too long and should end in about a few minutes or so. If it does not, I will either find the sekirei in question that put me into this dream and tell her to release me or if she does not allow me to leave, knock her unconscious and/or kill her.

Sensing a presence behind me, I halted and turned around but found nothing. Looking to the ground, there were no signs of tracks other than my own so the presence was not following me so that must mean…

"Eeep!" I heard a childish cry as I looked toward the source of the presence. Female child I think. Sounded like she was about eight or younger. The girl was hiding behind her tree, her body being lifted by a large tree branch though I can still see her a bit. Long, blonde, unkempt hair extended down almost to her knees and her attire was just a light, green one piece dress. Her fingers were small and delicate, one of them lifted to her mouth as a sign of nervousness. She had large green eyes that had traces of fear but also curiosity, as she peeked out her head every now and then.

So she is the one that got me in this dream. "Oi! You there!" I walked over and spoke loud enough so she could hear me but she only tried to hide herself more behind the tree she was on. So she does not want to talk. "Get down here for a sec." The blonde girl ignored me once more and now started to tremble a bit as I stopped just below her. So she does not want to get down either.

"… There's a spider on your head"

"Eeeeeeeeeeekkk!" Well that did it if the girl losing her balance and falling is anything to go by. Before she hit the ground and tried to escape, I grabbed her shirt and suspended her above the ground.

"Scared of a little spider that is not even there?" We are in an alien type of dream so I doubt there are other living things other than the two of us.

"Kuu was not scared! Kuu just felt like getting down from the tree." Her voice, childish and arrogant, was complete bull crap in my ears.

"Oh well in that case, the spider landed on your shirt and about to get on your back."

"Waaaahhhh! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!" The girl panicked and struggled in my grip as she tried to get rid of the imaginary spider.

"Ok." By help I mean shake her harshly so she might stop this dream at once. I lifted the girl up and down rapidly due to her small weight, causing her head to bob up and down. By the time I stopped, she went limp as the dizziness prevented her from regaining her sense of balance. It looks like she has no control over the dream but she is the only one who could have triggered it. This was not the first time I have been inside a sekirei dream.

"There the spider is off."

"Let me go. Kuu is not a child. Kuu is an adult"

"Ok" And without warning, I let go of her and she dropped face down into the grass. "I am pretty sure an adult stands on two feet, not on their belly." Before she could lift herself to prove herself as a symbol of adulthood, I put my foot down on her back using just enough force to keep her down. "I thought you were an adult? Why are you on your belly? You seem more like a kid to me."

"Fuuuggghhh! Kuu is an adult, you'll see!"

"I'm seeing you on the ground so yes, you are definitely an adult."

"See! Kuu is an adult!"

"That was sarcasm."

The little girl tilted her head despite being on the ground in curiosity. "What is sarcasm?"

"It means you're still a kid."

"Fuuuugggghhhhh" The girl squirmed but she did not have the physical ability to get my foot off of her. For a sekirei she is very young. Looks like Minaka is sending the aliens out regardless of what age they are. Even though she is young, she has power as it is not easy to trigger a dream with their ashikabi. The dreams are usually a rare case…

Wait. This little shrimp is reacting to me? Now the question is, does that make me a pedophile now… hm.

_*Chomp_*

"…ow" I looked down to see the blonde girl grabbing my leg and sinking her teeth into it like some kind of chew toy. What has the MBI been teaching her? Bite into anything that makes you unhappy? Annoying scientists and their education.

"Fuuugggh. Phew if noph kif. Phew if aphult." She sunk her teeth deeper into my leg and it made me wonder if you can bleed in a sekirei dream. Now what are my options? Get her off my leg through force or negotiate… force it is.

"Get off my leg you little kid!" I swung my up and down in an attempt to get the girl off my leg but all she did was wrap her arms and legs on to make sure she did not fall to continue biting into my leg.

"Fuuugggghhhhh"

How annoying.

Suddenly I felt a tug, signaling that the dream has reached its end.

* * *

My eyes opened to see the night sky. Before I could try and lift my body up, I coughed and raised an eyebrow as blood came out. Looking down at the rest of my body to find the cause, I noticed a hole in my stomach around my clothes drenched with blood.

Oh yeah. Crazy, vampire girl put her hand through my stomach. Forgot about that for a second. At least she did not hit any vital organs.

If anyone says that taking a hand through the stomach is nothing, stab him with a knife and ask if it's 'nothing'. It freaking hurts. Fortunately I am used to stuff like this so I could keep calm mind and not scream in pain like an idiot.

I looked around and noticed that the area was exactly the same as it was. The park looking like crap. Sparks flying everywhere now and then from the lampposts. Trees destroyed from the crazy woman. Uzume unconscious on the ground bleeding after getting sliced in the back by a scythe. Yep, same as usual. Which means it must have only been a few minutes after I was knocked out. A few minutes because if it was longer, the MBI would have been here by now.

So me and Uzume are bleeding out right now and going to die from blood loss unless we patch ourselves up immediately and escape from the MBI which will arrive in about… five minutes if they ignore street lights and traffic which they probably will.

Annoying, scythe wielding sekirei. Make my life more annoying why don't you.

Patching myself or Uzume will roughly take at least three minutes each and it will take at least two minutes to get to my motorcycle and possibly escape from the MBI. It would take less if I ran but I cannot due to my current wound. It will take longer if I have to carry Uzume. Uzume has it worse off than me due to the sekirei deactivation protocol. At this rate, it will not be long until she deactivates.

So leave Uzume here to die, patch myself up, and then get out of here. I quickly reached into my backpack to grab first aid supplies and got to work immediately. I feel like I am forgetting… something…

"Are you alright master," Oh yeah that was what I was forgetting. Akitsu appeared right next to me. A little too close as I could feel her body heat. She crouched down and looked at the wound on my chest, unsure of what to do. Looking at her cheek, I noticed a slight scratch was there instead of a fatal wound, leaking blood. How did she use her powers to turn what should have been an instant kill to only a small scratch?

Annoying, broken sekirei. I already met one of them and now another comes in my life.

"Master, is there any-"

"Akitsu, shut up and listen. Freeze the wounds on me and Uzume then carry her. You are going to follow me by the rooftops while I drive my motorcycle. We do not have much time so get to it."

Before Akitsu got here, I was left with no other option but to save myself and leave. The consequences of doing so would be unpleasant. The ire from Izumo Inn, getting fired by Higa, and possibly the MBI arresting me and/or killing me due to no longer being a participant in the sekirei plan. Now that Akitsu is here, I no longer have to deal with the consequences. Like it or not, I have to keep Uzume alive and Akitsu is the key to doing that. She will freeze the wounds which will stop the blood loss and buy us time to treat them properly. I said I would not care if they died. That does not mean I was going to let them die.

Whether that is a good or bad thing has yet to be determined.

Akitsu hesitantly nodded at my command and placed her hand over my stomach. Her powers kicked in and other than the coldness of it, it felt like needles are stabbing into me. Every time I breathed, it caused pain to it that would no doubt cause me to pass out if it did not end soon. Akitsu finished doing her work and turned to Uzume to continue doing her task.

I stood up and shivered due to the ice on my stomach and immediately started walking towards my motorcycle. By the time I started starting it up, Akitsu was next to me and ready to start following me. We hastily escaped from the park as soon as possible, and after we passed a block, I looked back toward the park.

Seems like I was one minute off. It took four minutes for the MBI to reach the park. Already it was surrounded by helicopters, and blocked off by armed men with armored vehicles. The MBI sure has come a long way from what it used to be before.

* * *

"Finally done. It really is convenient that a sekirei's body structure is similar to a human's," I set myself down on a chair and started to wipe my hands clean of the blood on them.

It was two in the morning right now. By the time we got to my apartment, it was midnight. Due to the MBI focusing on the park, covering my frozen wound with my trench coat, and Akitsu following me by the rooftops, we had no trouble getting to our destination. There were a few close calls though after we finally got to the front door but they were avoided. As soon as I opened the door, I ordered Akitsu to set Uzume down on the table and told her to unfreeze the wound.

All this while I was googling how to treat a wound on the back. I have treated wounds before but mostly the ones I can reach on my own body. Anything else I have little to no experience treating. If you do not know it, google it.

We could not go to any hospitable due to complicated reasons. No MBI hospital because of my past and apparently Uzume's past too from what I read on her profile. No Higa hospitable because of the possibility of being fired or the manipulator using her to somehow gain complete control over me. No normal hospital because Uzume is an alien and I do not want to deal with the trouble it might cause if a doctor discovered he was treating an alien.

So in other words, Uzume's life was in the hands of google and an amateur medic. If I was in her position, I would be annoyed.

I successfully managed to patch Uzume up and save her from termination. It was extremely close as her sekirei symbol on the back of her neck was blinking on and off like a light bulb reaching its end. It was probably due to being winged that she has managed to stay alive for so long. Winged sekirei are more powerful than un-winged ones after all.

After I patched Uzume up, I ordered the ice sekirei to unfreeze my wound and I immediately went to work. Already I have lost a significant amount of blood, causing me to feel lightheaded at times and make me drop the materials in my hand. It was thanks to Akitsu that I managed to stay awake to treat my wound, shaking me awake whenever sleep came close. The wound did not extend from all the way through the other side of my body so it did not take as long as I expected.

Unfortunately this wound will cause problems. It will take a few weeks to heal and if I make too much movement, the wound will open and cause me to bleed once more. In other words, if I get into a fight, there is a much higher chance that I will lose. Higa is going to be assigning some tasks for me soon so I do not have the luxury of waiting to recover. How annoying.

"I apologize… my master." Akitsu's low and quiet voice caused me to raise an eyebrow as I looked toward her. The air got colder as if it represented, the woman's displeasure. Apologize? Apologize for what? "I let harm… come to you… and you almost… lost your life. I am nothing… but a failure. You may… punish me or… throw me away." It was when she said throw away that her voice was completely apathetic.

I stayed silent and closed my eyes, figuring out how to deal with this. She is going to keep on saying that and it will be a problem later on if it is not settled now. Ah. This is the best chance to get rid of her. After all, I only needed Uzume to keep doing my job. I did not need Akitsu.

After determining the solution, I opened my eyes which were colder than ice. "…Yes you are a failure. You are nothing but a failure." The brown-haired woman just continued to star at my face as my words seemed to stab into her like daggers. "Do not ever forget that you are a failure. You will never be the same as the other sekirei. The fact you find pleasure in finding a false ashikabi is nothing but of pathetic."

"Yes… master" Ice started to form around Akitsu but I did not care. I could really care less. I started to walk towards her as I continued to deliver my words filled with nothing but venom.

"Other sekirei will always call you a monster, fleeing or attacking you on sight. You already said that I was the only person you knew. What more proof is there? Your heart racing? It is wanting something that it will never have. Face it the whole world is against you and one more thing that I should make clear to you."

The alien woman braced herself for the words that might come but she did not show it.

"I am not your master nor your ashikabi"

"….yes…."

Here she was waiting years for my return all alone like some dog waiting for its master. Then when she finally finds me as if I was her only hope, she labels me as her one and only master. How does it feel when the person you waited almost your entire life for causes you nothing but pain saying that he does not want you? How does it feel when your greatest hope is your greatest despair?

"Now what will you do?" She might break down and try to kill me due to my words. My left hand is behind my back holding a gun in case she intends to strike. If I see even a muscle move in hostility, I will shoot her.

But she did not attack me.

Akitsu crouched down and bowed down in front of me seiza. As I watched her, I noticed her face is nothing but apathetic despite all that I have said. "…Please… become my master… or at least… punish me… and kill me…" Her voice held no emotion but contained great pain. She is not lying.

Oh? She is asking me to kill her? She is not going to fight back? That is all I needed to hear.

"Then I will do the latter. Stand up you failure." The ice sekirei nodded and stood up very slowly. She was did not shake and her eyes held no emotion. She did not even flinch as I began to move, only closing her eyes.

And then I dealt the blow.

…

"….ah?"

But Akitsu did not feel any pain or feel that her life has ended. All she felt was a hand on her head. She opened her empty eyes and stared into my bored and lazy ones. My eyes closed as I sighed.

(Serenade of Nirvana – Darker Than Black OST 2: watch?v=g_KaxGVwWxE)

"How annoying. You are annoying me very much right now. You are a failure and nothing will change that. But what's wrong with being a failure? That does not mean you should always lower your head and regret. A failure is more powerful than most sekirei. So can people call you a failure when they cannot beat you in a fight? If you are different, that does not mean you are just a failure. It can also mean that you are special. Special is sometimes better than being normal."

My hand on her head started to scratch her much like a cat. "The fact that I was harmed doesn't mean anything. We were all caught by surprise. It happens… it happens a lot. So don't beat yourself up over it. But do not forget it. Use it as a way to get stronger so it does not happen again. So what if your sekirei or the world might turn against you? Be strong enough so you will not be beaten. Be clever enough so you will not be taken. Be confident enough so you will not relent"

I pulled her head down to my chest gently. She hesitantly lifted her arms and I scratched her head signaling that it was ok. The woman wrapped her arms around me gently as she rested her head on my chest. "Akitsu, I will not be you ashikabi nor your master. I never liked any of those titles."

"I will be your friend. As long as we are friends, I will protect you and I hope you will do the same. So do not call me your ashikabi or your master. Just call me by my name."

"…Zike-sa"

I lightly tapped her on the head. "No."

She held me tighter and dug her head deeper into my chest. "…Zike"

I just scratched her head as she continued to embrace me. "Akitsu. Good job and… thank you."

How annoying. How freaking annoying. Despite finding all of this annoying I do not regret all that I have said. I meant every single word.

How many times have I been stabbed in the back? How much hate is directed toward me? How many lies have been told to me? How many people have people have betrayed me? I lost count. But it became easy to tell when each of these happen. Yet I did not sense any intentions at all of doing so in Akitsu. She was even waiting for me all these years when I did not even bother to think about her yet still wishes to be by my side when I spoke with ill will. A thing no one has ever done. So what's wrong with making a friend… annoying… how annoying…

Even after all these years… you continue to annoy me…

You annoying woman…

…Okay I'm done. Enough of this. This is getting out of hand. I'm done. Forget it. I placed my hand on Akitsu's face and pushed her back away from me, preventing her from embracing me. "Go take a shower. You stink."

"Ah… yes… ma-… Zike." She then headed toward the bathroom and I sat back down in my chair. Sighing as I scratched my head.

"…I was talking to you too Uzume."

"…I thought I had you fooled."

Uzume lifted herself up from her laid down position on the table and sat with her legs folded. Staring at me. But she had a wry smile on her face. I knew why.

"So… why haven't you called me a friend?"

"You know why. I am not going to sugar coat it for you. Another reason is because Akitsu had a head start before you. Plus she is a lot different from others."

"Ah… I see." She looked toward the bathroom. "So when do I get to be called a friend?"

"… Hmm. I wonder."

"…AAARRRRGGGHHHH." Uzume started to frantically mess with her hair and I only raised an eyebrow. She then grabbed my shirt and pulled me so close that I could feel her breath on my face. "You piss me off. You are really pissing me off. I will make you call me a friend no matter what." She looked at me with fire in her eyes as if a new challenge was given to her.

All I did was stare at her with my emotionless face. "I expect nothing less from you Uzume."

The pony-tailed sekirei blinked then smirked at me. "…You didn't call me a gorilla this time"

My eye twitched at the slip I made. "Ah… it must be the blood loss."

"Oh I think I know where that blood is rushing to."

"It is rushing to my wound. It is definitely rushing to my wound."

"Nope~! It can only be two places~"

"Wound and wound. No, wound and mouth from the throw-up that is about to come up.

"Nope!"

"Ah I am getting light-headed. The wound just opened up again. I need a medic."

"Hey Zike."

"?"

"I love you."

"…eh?"

"Aww that's so cute. You're blushing."

"No I am not. It's adrenaline from the life-threatening situation from before."

"No~It's~Not~"

"You- no!" *_Crash*_ "Get your face away from me! You are not kissing me"

"Aww but just a little?"

"Your definition of a little is a lot and indecent!"

"Thanks for the compliment!"

"That was not a compliment!"

"Come on! Accept my love!"

"Get away from me. Annoying aliens and their super strength"

"Can I at least kiss you on the cheek?"

"No freaking way."

"Then your lips are mine!"

"No. No. NO!"

It was weird really. Being this relaxed after just facing a life threatening situation. It felt… kind of nice.

Too bad it ended so soon… and too bad that this was the last time I ever relaxed…

And too bad this was the last time I saw Uzume or Akitsu 'alive'.

* * *

I intended this chapter to be a lot longer but after I reached the end, I figured that it was enough. After all…

All good things must come to an end...

That was so corny. Dang it. I screwed that up. Wait let me edit that. Let me EDIT!

This act will end with two more chapters of the present and one chapter of the present. All of them will be long, hopefully over 10,000 words because a lot of things are going to happen and I really need to get started on my other stories.

Started a Touhou story and I am going to start a league of legends story soon. It won't be like pairings that are extremely common. You will know what I mean when you see it. After that, I will focus on those three stories and build them up to a satisfactory level.

So review, comment, and prepare for the storm that is coming in both the past and the present.


	8. Present: Act 2-3

_**IMPORTANT READ:**_

I was actually planning to make this chapter a lot, lot, lot, lot, longer but at this rate, it will be a bit too long so there will be a change of plans. This will not end in the next two chapters due to me underestimating the length of this act. After the countdown, lasting about two-three chapters (hopefully), (You will see what I mean when you read) gets to one, there will be a chapter of the past before the act ends in a chapter. Not really much to say right now since anything I might say may be spoiling. This is the longest chapter I ever made so I will use this as a breather so I can work on my other stories. Those of you waiting for the past to continue, even though its only one chapter, there will be fights (It is not an error. That is fight in plural) but who it will involve… well that is up to your imagination.

One more thing. Since I have done this for my other stories, I should explain why I chose to write a story on the sekirei universe:

I did not write this for a huge harem or for lots of romance… though how I came across this manga and anime, however, is a different story. When I usually read the stories on sekirei, there is again the freaking pairings all over the place with super large harems! It's madness I say, madness!

Then I came across Gabriel Blessing's _In Flight_, the first fanfiction story I ever read. It was awesome. If you read it, you know what I mean. It wasn't until a few years later that I started to bite the bullet and make my own story. Why? Well, I always imagined Zike and when I mean always, I mean since I was in 5th grade. Over time, as I started to watch anime and read manga, he started to develop more and more over time into what he is now.

You would not believe what my first idea for him was. I am not going to say it due to my rampant imagination. Anyway, as I watched anime like Fate/Stay night, Akame ga Kill, Code Geass, and others, I soon made a crushed the childish mindset that has been on my mind before I watched anime or read manga:

The mindset that the main character will always win and be the perfect hero.

When I read stories or watch anime like those, I get bored as I usually know what is going to happen. Heroes win, guy gets the girl… or the girl somehow dies, and that there is always a bad guy. But when there is a story where it is hard to tell who is right or wrong, where there are supporters for the bad guys yet also for the good guys, those are the types of stories I enjoy. It just goes to show that the world is not as idealistic and simple as the world think it is.

There is no simple way of saving the world without killing others in the process. There is no 'good' guy fighting a 'bad' guy. There is no idealistic way where the main character's friends are alive and unharmed. And most of all, the hero is not all powerful. It is these types of stories that makes me wonder what happens next while I am at the edge of my seat and I am hoping to produce the same effect later on in this story. And that is pretty much it.

So review, comment, and enjoy the story and I just realized that spellchecking this whole thing is going to be a pain. Ah crap... and I just edited it the day after this was posted. So again, enjoy.

Also, be sure to check out my League of Legends Fanfiction. I am going to be working on that one for a while before I get back to sekirei.

* * *

I cannot get a good sleep unless I am moving. Passing out does not count as sleeping.

The thing is that staying still in one place is more likely to get you killed than moving. If you continuously move, you will be much harder to target. Unless someone knows exactly what you are doing and is very skilled, odds are that you will not be killed while you are moving. After being in danger due to staying to still, I cannot sleep no matter what unless I am moving. Examples could be trains, airplanes, ships, helicopters, etc.

After changing clothes and tending to the wound a bit more, after Uzume and Akitsu fell asleep, I immediately went to the train station to catch a ride. I am catching a ride for more reasons other than sleeping. One reason is to get weapons and stock up on them before the sekirei plan starts getting chaotic. The fact that I was completely useless during my encounter with that scythe wielding sekirei proves that. Another reason is… well that reason is will be discovered as soon as I figure it out.

But the final reason is to research on who the sekirei that attacked me was.

As soon as a train car pulled up, I walked to the back so I would be alone. Most people usually ride in the middle or front of the train cars. Plus it was really early in the morning so there was hardly anyone here. I left my bloodied trench coat at home and instead picked out a white hoodie but I still wore a black t-shirt without my blood of course. It was still dark and you could hardly see any stars due to the lights in the city but the moon illuminated ominously.

Reaching into my backpack, I pulled out the sekirei files that Higa had given me. They might be outdated as it was weeks since I received it, but I did not need to update it at the moment. There are currently 108 sekirei, most were released but a few are still undergoing adjustments. I would say that anything past sekirei number sixty is still in the adjustments phase before being released into the city. Of course they could have been released since these past few weeks but I should at least narrow down.

There are different types of sekirei but they only have one ability each. That narrows it down to three types of sekirei. Weapon sekirei that mostly relies on their weapons and skill. Elemental sekirei that mostly uses their elements and using different techiniues that come with it. Finally, fist type sekirei that relies on physical ability rather than a weapon or element. Of course there are some combinations of the two among a single sekirei such as sekirei #5 Mutsu using his sword to generate his earth element or #1 using her sword to release shockwaves. These types of sekire are uncommon but not rare.

The sekirei that attacked me used explosions as her ability but I doubt it is as simple as that. The explosions that occurred were not fiery ones like gernades or mines cause but rather an explosion of air. Sekirei #3 already has the ability to control wind and air. It is impossible for a sekirei to have the same element as another unless they are twins. But there are few twins and the only ones I can name off the top of my head are sekirei #11 Hikari and sekirei #12 Hibiki. So that means her ability is not explosions or air so that is ruled out.

Other clues. Wounds. My face is fine and the blast was only intended to knock me out. Uzume's back was the result of the unknown sekirei's scythe, not her ability. Akitsu. Akitsu had a scratch on her face despite there being an explosion. Clue found. Analyzing. The unknown sekirei's scythe was lodged into the ice and yet there was still an explosion that managed to scratch Akitsu. Possible causes can be the shards of ice causing the scratch but I doubt that is the cause. Akitsu has complete control over ice and I highly doubt that a person specializing in powers would allow themselves to be hurt by them. Possibility is that the scythe within the ice sent out a thin vacuum that passed through the ice and onto Akitsu's cheek. Therefore, when the vacuum rapidly expanded, Akitsu pulled out before her face was blown off but was still affected by the shockwave, which caused her to be thrown. It explains why she only got a scratch from her cheek.

So one of the unknown sekirei's abilities is the ability to manipulate vacuums. Possible ways to use the vacuums are not limited to her weapon. Activating ability mentally is impossible. If she could, there is no need for a scythe. Other possibilities of activating her weapon is through her hands and feet. Possible counters - Break hands and arms plus the legs. Assured inability to use vacuums – Cut off unknown sekirei's hands and feet. Avoiding vacuums – A vacuum being created emits a sound that lasts for two seconds and there is a distortion in the air. Two seconds to escape the expansion of the vacuum. Further analysis. The blasts that were initiated were short ranged, emitted in the ice and through her hands. Blast radius is fairly short and avoidable.

Analysis of one ability complete. Next ability to identify. Physical abilities greater than a normal human and a long ranged weapon. Countermeasures developed. Next ability to identify. Aura. Unknown sekirei was emitting an aura that may render weapons useless. Other countermeasures disrupted until data to disrupt the aura are complete. Using knowledge of auras. Auras reflect mostly on one's emotions or presence. Unknown sekirei did not have much presence so interfering with emotions is required. Countermeasure for aura requires more information on the unknown sekirei. Constructing battle plans is useless unless the exact area of conflict is known and the aura is neutralized.

Analysis of sekirei. The sekirei had white hair and red eyes. Features uncommon, if not rare among the sekirei species in general. Possibilities are either rare genes or... worse possibility cannot be considered unless more information is given. Sekirei features not found with the sekirei database. Relying on other features of identification. Using data from ability previously discovered. Searching papers… possible suspect found.

Number #43 Yomi

Sekirei #43 is ashikabi to Hayato Mikogami. Known facts about Mikogami. Looks like a spoiled rich kid. Probably whines about his toys and crap. Called the Ashikabi of the South and has winged a significant amount of sekirei. He has also winged sekirei #5 Mutsu...

Oh God Mutsu gone homo. I always thought it was weird when he left the MBI but now it explains everything. He is always isolated and I wondered why but now I know. He has been searching for the forbidden love and oh he will face my full disrespect. One for the male ashikabi and one for being the silent type and trying to be a badass. So after taking a nap I should pay a visit to Mutsu and stock up on weapons. There is no need to bring weapons to meet the ashikabi of the south. If the data on him is completely accurate…

He is already in the palm of my hand. So with that settled there is still only one thing left to figure out.

The Unknown sekirei's last words before she blew up my face.

'Death will not come to you yet. It will come when the truth is shown to the unknown. When it does, I will end your life'

…

Everything I analyzed before cannot compare to the dangerousness of this statement. The death part can be ignored. Killing me is not an easy thing. But the 'truth'…

Few know of what happened years ago and I have not met any of them or faced their reactions to what occurred. If word gets out about what happened years ago, if _that_ _event_ is presented to all the sekirei, if every single ashikabi is aware of what I have done…

The results would be more than annoying. It would be catastrophic for me. Which means I have to keep the secrets locked up whether I like it or not and the only way to do that is to find out more about the sekirei that attacked me. How annoying.

I have no doubt that the unknown sekirei that attacked me is not the true mastermind. She is only a pawn.

The reason being is that while I have met few sekirei in the past, most of them were still children or infants. The unknown sekiriei was likely an infant as the only sekirei children at my time working with the MBI were one through thirty-three yet the abilities of her do now match up with them. There is no possible way she could learn of my past when she was only an infant. Which means someone told her and used that information to control her.

Is it a sekirei? Is it a human? Is it something completely different? No… I can be sure it is one of the sekirei. The unknown sekirei showed abilities that is completely non-existent within the MBI files. It could be a regular human who gained powers but I would have noticed it during my time within the MBI. But if that was true, why did I not sense the person before? There are no clues to finding the ringleader as there are no records of an ability that increases the ability of another in a way that it completely distorts them.

I sighed and scratched my head. Unfortunately, I need to let this one go for now. There are no clues and worrying about it now is pointless. Waiting for the opponent to move or investigating the unknown sekirei are the only options as of now.

...

So Uzume and Akitsu. The first two sekirei I acquired during my first week in Shinto Teito. What to do about them.

Uzume. sekirei #10. Has the ability to use veils and has an overwhelming advantage over weapon users due to her skill with them. Didn't stop her from losing to the unknown sekirei though. Has a tomboyish personality and always tries to stay by my side. Akitsu, sekirei #7. Has the ability to manipulate ice. Currently a broken number powerful than most sekiriei yet still lost to the unknown sekirei that is most likely a higher number. Mostly apathetic but extremely loyal.

Both are very easy to manipulate.

All it took were some soft words and it was easy to get away from them. Possibly for good this time. After all, after my job is over, I am cutting them lose. Through killing them or through abandoning them has yet to be determined. It depends on how much trouble they cause me. After all, this partnership is temporary until I complete my job.

The main reason to do so is because even though they do not attempt to hide what they feel, their reactions to what I will do after I finish up what I needed to do in the sekirei plan is up in the air. Those reactions will only cause me trouble later on which will lead me to killing them anyway. So it is better to cut them loose when my job is close to being done. Now how to kill them if need be?

Through sleep and a slice at the neck? Maybe poison when they least expect it? Meh. I'll deal with it when it comes up. Might be a while before it does though. I will just play along until the opportunity comes up. Direct confrontations are not my style.

Well. Thinking time done. Time for my-

Bloodlust. Bloodlust assaulted my senses. Bloodlust along with an aura that promises death to those who challenge it. If there were any people in the cart right now, they would most likely pass out due to the intensity of it. Even though I have sensed bloodlust a lot during my life, this one was easily recognizable. After all, I had to deal with it during my time at the MBI.

"You were zoned out for quite a while. You didn't even notice me sit next to you" The woman next to me grinned and crinkled her eyes once she saw that I just noticed her "Why so tense? shouldn't you be happy to see an old friend?" The same voice as always. Sincere and kind yet hiding the monstrosity beneath it. She even wore the same attire as before. Grey haori, black leather top and stockings. Same sword but now it is dirtied with blood.

"… I am not tense. I am annoyed that you interrupted me from taking a nap. And take a shower will you. The blood that you spilled is stinking up this place."

Karasuba, otherwise known as the black sekirei.

(Play Umineko OST – Ridicule watch?v=Qi3eAjB_LcA)

The train that stopped without me noticing and started to move. The woman who enjoyed and lived for battle only chuckled at my response to her. It may have been the fact that I completely ignored the fact that she her clothes are stained in blood right now. Maybe it was the fact that she sat next to me for a while yet I did not notice her. Maybe it was the fact that she had me cornered like an animal and that she could end my life now if she wanted to.

After all, I was the one who took Yume from her, the only person that gave her the pleasure she desired. If anyone was in the cart right now, they would be unable to bear the tension that is only beginning to increase more and more.

"So how have you been? You left the MBI without even saying goodbye."

"Oh I had other things to do. I was planning to send a card but I forgot."

"I wonder what could have made you forget. I wonder if it is something like what happened a few hours ago."

"Oh? So did you become a peeper now? I never knew the MBI's dog was such a pervert."

The train seemed to get louder which only caused the situation to get more out of hand at every passing second.

"Well this perverted dog has a habit of sinking its teeth into whatever catches her eye. And frankly, it has been rather hungry in the last few years due to a certain someone taking away its food."

"Oh? Want me to throw you a bone? I'll throw one into the ocean and we will see if you can fetch it."

"I'm willing to fetch a bone. Unfortunately, I will not fetch it until it has your blood on it. So still willing to throw a bone?"

As we passed lights, it illuminated our darkened backs but even they could not completely get rid of the darkness that we carried.

"I'm willing to throw one as long as you catch the bullet that comes with it. But make sure to catch it with your face though. It looks like the guys before me tried to teach you how to play but failed."

"Yes. They were not very good teachers. Hopefully you can be a better teacher and will be willing to teach me soon."

"Sorry but I do not teach dogs. Especially dirty ones covered in blood. Come back never."

"That is a shame. I was really hoping for you to teach me something. After all, I am getting excited."

After that, only a few seconds of silence followed. The conversation did not end. The Karasuba I know is nothing but a wild card. So if she is not talking...

The train bumped.

It happened in an instant. One moment Karasuba and I were sitting next to each other. It seemed like we were friends if someone happened to see us.

The next moment, I let myself fall lay down on my seat, allowing me to dodge the katana that the silver, haired sekirei had her hand on ever since the conversation started. She adjusted her grip to direct her blade toward my face only to stop as her eyes stared into my gun aimed at her face. Bloodthirsty and excited eyes with a savage grin stared into my bored ones. We were frozen in time and as soon as either one of us moved a muscle, the other would attack immediately. Despite Karasuba's absurd speed, I already knew when the strike was coming due to her bloodlust which allowed me to react in time without injury.

Unfortunately, the movement I made caused the wound on my stomach to open, causing my eye to twitch that did not escape Karasuba's eye. I clicked my tongue in annoyance. Freaking scythe wielding sekirei.

You caused me to lose a fight and my life.

The katana flickered as it seeked the prey that it caught.

…

"Ack!"

Instead of blood pouring out of my body, I instead found the blade positioned right on my neck along with her hand gripping my throat a bit tightly, making it hard to breathe a little. All it would take is a simple movement and my throat would be slit. Either that or a bit of force to crush my neck. The cornered animal has been caught by the dog.

"Ho? Even when you are about to die you show no fear."

"Fear… is overrated."

"That is a shame, it amuses me when the people I have slain showed fear in their eyes. It always gets me excited wanting more and more."

The train that quieted down during our conflict once more started to get louder.

"Well if that is… what you wanted, go find it… somewhere else."

"The fear of others is what I enjoy but the fearlessness of others is something I enjoy much more. So I ask you Zike. Can you continue showing that fearlessness when I stab you in the heart?"

"Meh. You will probably be blinded by… the blood I cough up before you will see any expression… from me."

"Then I can just crush your throat to make sure I can see it."

"That could work yes, although then… you would not see the fear because I would… already be dead."

Even though Karasuba's tall body loomed over me, her shadow covering my form, and her eyes staring deep into my own, searching for any sign of weakness, there is nothing that she can do to make me relent. The silver-haired woman's grip on my throat only tightened, further restricting my ability to breath."

"True that you would be dead… unless I drag it out for a very long to time."

"Such a sadistic statement… I am literally… shaking in fear."

"It seems like futile twitching of a helpless animal to me"

"Oh really? Show me one… to me because… I do not know what one looks like."

"No need. I already caught one."

"Is it invisible? Because I sure… don't see it. Maybe it's magical and… has the powers of a leprechaun or unicorn."

Despite my nonchalant attitude, I was sweating. Having a wound reopen and bleeding out is not a pleasant thing. Thankfully Karasuba has her attention on my face so she does not know about the wound. If she knows… yeah it goes without saying what will happen. Karasuba brought her face closer to mine, her eyes half-lidded and I could feel her warm breath on my face.

"Maybe it does. But it brings up the question of what I should do with the animal."

"Set it free. Set it free… into the wild so… it can be free once more."

"No. That is not it. I think it is something else."

"Freedom you tyrant. It wants… freedom from this tyrannical… treatment. It wants to be… innocent once more."

"It's not really innocent after the things I heard."

The train started to slow down as it approached the next station. Why does it feel like it's a countdown?

"You have hearing… problems. Maybe it's an alien… thing. You should… probably get that checked… out. Like right now."

"Should I skin it and then kill it?"

"No I think… it's the other… way around. Kill then… skin it. It is definitely… the other way around."

"Or should I make keep stabbing it and drag out its death for a long time."

"Then you would stink… and everyone around you… would throw up. Is that… what you want? People seeing you… and throwing up. That does not… sound very pleasant. In fact I… would throw up after seeing you too."

"Or should I just end its life now since it is just trying to prevent its own death by speaking gibberish."

"It's not gibberish. It's your… conscience. 'I am your conscience. Spare the…*cough* animal and your crimes… will be forgiven… only one out…*cough* of the hundred… thousand… crimes unfortunately… but it's…. a… start!'"

"No. I think I will just kill it now."

I saw her muscles move and with that, so did her blade.

…

"Mph"

The blade wielding sekirei shook and sighed at loud. "You are no fun. I just can't get you to show fear."

(Music Stop)

Instead of the sekirei slitting my throat and me bleeding to death, I found an apple put into my mouth which thankfully did not have blood on it. Looking up and raising an eyebrow from my laid down position, Karasuba herself was eating an apple with a slight pout on her face and facing toward the window. Her expression is much more relaxed than before and somehow gentle. Would have fooled have fooled me if her clothes didn't have bloodstains on them. It may not mean much to some and it may look like that she lost interest but it was much deeper than that. I know because I was the one to introduce her to apples in the first place. It was her sign of saying that 'What happens in the past stays in the past'.

Such a tsund-

The silver-haired women's katana once again positioned itself at my neck, with the wielder grinning. Most people have trouble figuring out what Karasuba was feeling because she mostly grins all the time. Since I have been with Karasuba for a while, it was obvious that she is annoyed right now. "Why do I get the feeling that you just insulted me?"

"juph yof imfmafinaphion." Taking a bite out of the apple, I grabbed it and removed it from my mouth and sat back up next to the sword-wielding sekirei. She is a little too close for my comfort, her own body touching my own but it doesn't really matter. At least I get to live. Well that may change if the wound opening is worse than expected but that can be dealt with later. Finishing my apple, I started a new topic in the conversation. "So how have you been? Been winged by a MBI employee yet?" On her profile, it did not say anything about her being winged.

There were some other things to take note of on it though. She is now the leader of the disciplinary squad along with two other sekirei. Sekirei #105 Benitsubasa, otherwise known as the red sekirei and Sekirei #104 known as the blue blue sekirei. Despite the belief that the higher the number, the weaker they are, they probably have been enhanced by the MBI so that they are stronger than regular sekirei. Though I doubt they are stronger than Karasuba herself. The single numbers are on another level due to being shown to combat in the past and having an overwhelming amount of time developing their abilities. It is a bit strange that the MBI chose them rather than a lower number. Maybe they wanted to show that numbers are not everything in the sekirei plan.

Karasuba's eye crinkled and she looked a bit unhappy. It was like someone taking away a kid's toy. "Due to the policy, all members of the disciplinary quad are to have the same ashikabi. It makes picking the right one a hassle as we all have to agree on one. Of course there are those who volunteered but..."

"They were nothing but perverts so you cut them down, scaring them away?"

The woman grinned at me as she took a bite out of her apple. "You know me so well. What you said is true but there is one person in particular that has caught our interest. Nastuo Ichinomi I think it was."

"This is really turning into a girl's gossip session but go on."

"He has mindset that interests me but the only reason he thinks that way is because his lover died." The silver-haired woman placed her elbow on her head along with her head on the palm of her hand. "*Sigh* It's childish really. Though I should not really be saying that myself as I can relate to him a bit."

Something about what she said triggered up an old memory rising up. Where have I heard that name before? "Natsuo…Natsuo…Ichinomi. He… wouldn't happen to be gay would he?"

Karasuba opened a single eye in surprise at me. "He is… how did you know?"

"Oh… oops."

The woman tilted her head in curiosity. "'oops'?"

"Yeah…I may have kind of killed his lover after I left the MBI. See, he was healing the people I was fighting against, and I didn't like that so I shot him and heard him say 'Natsuo' in his last words…" Such a small world. I am surprised I even remembered that. Another person to add to the list of people who might kill me. He even has the backing of the MBI to boot. Annoying.

The black sekirei burst out laughing but attempted to try and restrain herself by covering her mouth. Unfortunately, she is failing. "You really are too much. You can turn a person who is kind to desiring to destroy the world without even realizing it."

I just shrugged at the praise or insult she was giving me. "Anyone could do that. It is nothing special. There are some who change people without using violence but just a few words."

She smiled at my response as if expecting me to say that. "Ah but you are different. You cause trouble wherever you go without even trying."

"That's bull. Where is your proof?"

"You're in the sekirei plan."

"A complete coincidence."

"You were attacked in less than two weeks without getting much involved in the plan."

"…Another coincidence."

"You met me."

"Okay I see your point. I am an official danger magnet." I palmed my face. Why does these things happen to me? I know I have done a lot of bad things in the past but it evens out with the good things I have done. Is my life nothing but chaos and pain? I am not even going to bother to try and call her out on how she knew I was attacked. MBI satellites probably saw when I was attacked. Which means they probably already know that I am here and will know where I will go no matter where I run off to.

Karasuba, the sadist, smiled at my displeasure and added another fact which only added to my annoyance. "You are probably wondering why the MBI hasn't ordered me to kill you or why you were not shot after entering the city. You can thank Minaka for that. He says and I quote that 'your presence brings excitement to the sekirei plan'".

Oh god even the madman is calling me a source of excitement.

Pinching my nose in annoyance, I continued to participate in the conversation. "Ugh, I am not even going to ask why. So why haven't you winged Natsuo yet if he is the only one in the MBI that is, for a lack of better words, worthy to be your ashikabi. There is no reason to keep stalling it." The reason she and the rest of the disciplinary quad members need to get winged in the first place is because a winged sekirei is much stronger than an un-winged one.

They need to present their overwhelming strength so ashikabi and sekirei do not stray away from the rules. If ashikabi and sekirei, realize that fighting against the MBI is hopeless, they are less likely to cause trouble. If they don't there will be a lot of problems that can occur. It is not that disciplinary squad do not have the skill to deal with sekirei. It is just that they cannot be at two places at one time. So if multiple problems occur when they only have three members, eventually one or more of them will be left unchecked, causing the MBI to get in a lot of trouble. The sekirei are supposed to be a secret to the public. If they realize what a sekirei are, things can get dangerous. For the public and the sekirei.

"Well… I do have a reason. I have another MBI member in mind." The bloodthirsty sekirei looked a bit sheepish as she turned her head away from me. Is she blushing? Why is she blushing and looking embarrassed.

"…Okaaaay. So why haven't you winged him yet?" I raised an eyebrow at Karasuba's unusual demeanor. Karasuba is not one to get embarrassed over something.

"Well he has been away for a while."

"Is he still away now?"

"No, he just entered the city a few weeks ago."

Just about the same time I entered the city. This is no coincidence. Is it possible that someone has been following me and keeping tabs? So whenever a satellite cannot find me, the MBI sent someone to spy on me instead. But that should be impossible. I have been on warzones these past years and I doubt one is stupid enough to follow me to one. Is he somehow an experienced mercenary? The MBI does have a private army made out of mercenaries so it is likely. So why haven't I noticed him?

"Well that still does not explain why you have not winged him yet."

"…You are really going to make me work for this aren't you?" The black sekirei palmed her face and shook her head. Why is her face red? To my knowledge, sekirei do not get sick. Narrowing my eyes, I continued the conversation to get to the bottom of this.

"Work for what? Whatever. So is he a member of the MBI private army?"

"No. He is a member of the disciplinary squad."

"… So Natsuo winged Benitsubasa? I thought you said you had another person in mind?"

"…How can you be so smart yet so dense? It's you."

"…You what? You Sakutaro or something? Maybe You Yasuka? If it is You Kamikazi, tell him he owes me twenty bucks."

"It's you Zike." Karasuba's face was deep red yet I am still confused by this.

Wait a second. "Is there someone named Zike at the MBI! An imposter! Cut him down if you see him. Imposters are annoying."

"Oh for the love of- It's you Zike!" Karasuba half stuttered and half shouted out that sentence in annoyance which made me tilt my head in confusion.

"So his name is You Zike? What a weird na-" I didn't get to finish that sentence as Karasuba stood up from her seat, her hair darkening her face, and stood in front of me. She grabbed my shoulders a bit too hard, positioned her knee so her body was leaning against mine, and put her forehead against mine. Her lips were dangerously close to my own and every time I tried to move back, she would move closer.

"… Uh Karasuba? I need a bit of space here. I mean like a lot of space here." Despite this I maintained my bored expression wondering what the heck was going on. Is she going to bite my face off?

"You will be my ashikabi you scatterbrain."

"…eh?"

"You. Will. Be. Mine."

"…What?" Tilting my head in confusion, I replayed what she just said in my mind. Then something clicked and I realized what was happening. "Ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh… yeah no."

"I don't think you heard me correctly. You _will _be mine." Her tone turned dangerous yet it also had a bit of something else in it. Is that lust?

"Ugh." This time I palmed my face and sighed. "Even though I want to avoid having sekirei wing me, which I really, really do, I do not care if a sekirei decides to wing me. Less potential enemies to deal with is less annoying. What I do care about is the timing of _when _I am winged. And right now, this is a bad time to be taking sekirei. Especially you."

Karasuba narrowed her eyes at me but did not move away from me, her face demanding an explanation.

"Right now the sekirei plan is in its early phases. It is a time when enemies and threats are identified which is why I need to stay low. If I am identified as a threat and your ashikabi, I will be constantly targeted. The reason I survived so long in being a mercenary is because I layed low in the beginning to avoid being labeled a threat as long as possible. If I am labeled a threat right now, I will surely die. I am not invincible or immortal. I am a human being that can bleed and can easily die from a punch even from a weak sekirei. It is best for you to wing me later on in the game."

"The MBI and I can protect you."

"Yes, but I will not accept it. The MBI will protect me but right now I am working for someone, not the MBI. The MBI will prevent me from doing my job which is something I cannot accept. You of all people should know how seriously I take my job. And you… well you can protect me but that will interfere with your job with working with the MBI. Plus, protecting me makes me no different from choosing Natsuo as an ashikabi. Do you really want to stay by my side all the time guarding me and scaring anyone that comes close or do you want to let me do whatever I want, causing chaos and setting you up to deal with strong opponents?"

"I understand your reason for choosing me as your ashikabi, or more specifically, your body choosing me as you cannot control who you react to. Due to being experienced in combat, I am more likely to survive a surprise attack when you are not here to protect me. Another reason is because I am a 'danger magnet' which will cause things to get out of hand to your liking. But what about dealing with the MBI policy of all disciplinary squad members having the same ashikabi and even though I technically did not quit or get fired by the MBI, thus still making me a member, I doubt they would accept me being your ashikabi. Whatever the reason, all I am asking is that you do not wing me right now and wait until it is the right moment for me to be your ashikabi. You will know when it comes. With my luck, it will be stupidly obvious."

The most likely reason Karasuba did not choose to wing Natsuo as her ashikabi is because although he has the right mindset that she wants, he must not have the ability to do so. Karasuba's goal is to destroy the world. Even she realizes how impossible that is and instead destroys it in extremely small scales such as killing whoever the MBI wants dead. Natsuo probably does not do anything but sit on the sidelines and say good job when a task is finished. While it is rare for someone to accept her… habits, it does not really benefit her much except give her a boost of power.

I am different. Not only will I participate in the assignments but somehow, my presence seems to make the situation go out of hand, which cause things that even Karasuba may have a tough time in. She enjoys cutting down enemies but she enjoys strong opponents that are on par with her or even better more but they are extremely rare for her to come across alone. All she has to do is take me along with her and she will face strong opponents or at least amusing situations. Even better is that I don't really care that she is a bloodthirsty, battle hungry alien. It is like a dream come true and a much better deal than winging Natsuo who doesn't really do anything.

I bet Karasuba was planning on dragging me around like a dog as soon as I wing her. Being a dog to a dog. Yeah… that is one of the major reasons I do not want to be winged by Karasuba.

The big and most important reason I am trying to not get winged right now, unknown to Karasuba, is Higa, my boss. I can pretty much imagine what he will do once he got one of the most powerful sekirei in his possession. It will be very annoying. That or Karasuba may kill my Higa, much to my displeasure. I do not want to be known for killing the person I was hired by. I am known to be a person who always completes the task I am given no matter what it is and I will not have anyone change that. But since Karasuba is unrelenting into becoming my sekirei, I need time to plan out what I am going to do or chaos will erupt.

There was nothing but the sound of the moving train as we were both silent. I did not know what will happen next. Karasuba may just ignore everything I said and just wing me, ruining everything and causing me problems. That or she may just cause me pain.

_*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*_

The silence was broken as a phone rang. Karasuba's phone to be exact. Not taking her eyes off me but looking irritated right now, she took out her phone from her pocket and raised an eyebrow as she glanced at the screen. After pressing a few buttons, her expression went back to smiling as she turned her phone toward me.

"Long time no see Zike."

"…Minaka you have the greatest sense of timing." Saved me from being attacked.

The man known as Minaka has not changed over the years. He still whore a white suit and cape with glasses. He still had an expression that was playful and desired excitement. Yep, still looking like one of those hippies. "Of course I do! Who do you think I am?!"

"A hippie."

"Shut up! Why can't you be amazed at my greatness like other people do?!"

"What people? Last time I saw someone 'amazed' at your greatness, she was using a clipboard to smash your head."

"Dark times they were. The days of the metal clipboard. Let those brain cells lost during the invasion rest in peace." The man shivered, recalling a trauma.

I shivered too. I was also a victim of the dark days. Rest in peace brain cells. "Amen. So what do you want?"

The white-haired man recovered from his depression and smiled in excitement. I did not like that smile. It is a smile that will cause annoying things to happen to me. "I am calling you for four reasons. One is to congratulate you becoming a part of the sekirei plan! Now you are a participant of the age of the go-"

"Question" I raised my hand like a student in the classroom. "Why didn't you contact me on my phone?"

Minaka just stared at me impassively, no doubt annoyed at being interrupted. "Because you would have likely hung up on me as soon as you saw my face or shoot at a T.V."

"Oh yeah right. Continue."

Minaka pushed his glasses up slightly, causing it to glint as he started to regain is overconfident attitude. "As I was saying, now you are a participant of the age of the go-"

I didn't let him finish and pressed the hang up button on Karasuba's phone.

"Annoying ads."

Karasuba just chuckled at my action. She worked for Minaka and will do anything he asks but that does not mean she has to respect him.

_*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*_

"You piss me off. Why can't you let me finish what I am saying?" Minaka's face appeared on the phone again but this time without Karasuba's help.

"Because you never get to the point. We both are busy so let's get to it."

"Tch. You're no fun. One of the reasons I called is not for you but for Karasuba. Karasuba, you can have Zike as your ashikabi regardless of the policy" Then the man smirked as my mouth was slightly agape at what he just said.

"Wait what?"

"Always a pleasure Minaka." Karasuba's smile widened and her eyes opened slightly as she stared at me like a predator.

"Minaka you bastard." Am… am I shaking? Stop it! Control yourself! It's just Karasuba… ah crap.

"HAHAHAHA. Feel the wrath of the game master when you interrupt him! While it is usually not accepted for Karasuba to have an ashikabi other than one loyal to the MBI, you are an exception."

"Oh? And why is tha-"

"Because you don't care what she does and you prefer to work alone."

"You just wanted to interrupt me didn't you?"

"…" Minaka just kept smiling and adjusted his glasses again so it would glint. That bastard. "Anyway another reason is because I have a proposition for you."

Raising an eyebrow, I nodded my head to signal him to go on.

"Despite that we have a private army and the disciplinary squad is nothing but perfect, we still have problems discovering threats to the MBI and dealing with them."

"People from other countries and spies within the MBI?"

"Yes. Despite you being a, excuse me, 'danger magnet', heh heh," My eye twitched at the title and being laughed at, "No one is more efficient as you are at hunting down and dealing with the problems. Because of you, there are no more invasions."

"I don't work for you anymore. I am working for someone else. You should know how I do my job."

"I am well aware of that of course." I narrowed my eyes at him but he just ignored me and continued. Well aware meaning 'I know who you are working for'. "But this is not a full-time job. Just think of it as like a part-time job whenever you are free. If you do the jobs, we will supply you with weapons that you so desperately need, no tricks of course, at high grade and high quality. It is a win-win situation. You help us with our problems, we help you deal with yours and our own too more effectively."

He's pushing it but it is not a bad idea. I need weapons of course and the weapons I was heading out to get will no doubt be low-quality. With the MBI, with technology years ahead of any other country, their weapons would be top notch. Since this is not a full time job, it will not interfere with my job as a mercenary and I can do it whenever I am in need of more weapons and ammo. Though this does bring up a question.

Did Minaka intentionally cut my line with the organization that supplies me my weapons just so he could have me do work for the MBI?

…Meh. Whatever. I'm getting me a new sniper rifle!

"I'll accept as long as I have free reign deciding when I can accept a mission."

"Of course. Now the final reason I called is connected to the third and is also one of the reasons Karasuba is with you."

"It's because of the unknown sekirei that attacked me isn't it?"

"Yes." Minaka's tone was no longer playful and was not serious. "Despite looking into our databases, we do not know who that sekirei is but from the looks of it, you do. She displayed powers that we have never seen within the MBI that is completely unique from sekirei. Not only that but for some reason, we cannot seem to track, despite a tracking device being implanted in every sekirei's neck."

"Ho? I thought you were one to get excited at developments like this?"

Minaka wryly smiled and chuckled dryly. "That is true. And I am rather excited by this but do you know what happened before she attacked you?"

"It could not have been that ba-"

"She attacked one of our facilities and stole a jinki."

My eye twitched at the mention of the alien artifact but I did not interrupt the chairman.

"Not only that, but there was also an attempt to capture #108 Kusano."

Kusano? The girl I met in my dream? Shouldn't she still be undergoing adjustments? From what I read on her profile, she was unique from most sekirei. Possessing a unique trait that differs from other sekirei. Since she is that special, the most likely adjustor would be…

Oh. So that is why Minaka's not happy about this.

"Takami was hurt wasn't she?"

"Yes and thankfully just a scratch… and a scar unfortunately. Meanwhile the attack has caused #108 to create an overgrowth of plants that will cause problems should it continue to exist."

"And you are telling me this because?"

"Think of it as a gift for participating in the sekirei plan and your assistance with dealing with the MBI's problems. In one week, I will send out a text informing all ashikabi of #108's location. Most sekirei will be released at that time and many sekirei will already be winged. One week because that is how long #108 can survive on her own."

"So I assume Karasuba is coming along with me to help identify the unknown sekirei and capture if possible."

"Correct. That is everything I wished to discuss with you. Ah! I almost forgot!" Minaka's change of expression from one of seriousness to one of panic caused an eyebrow to raise from both Karasuba and I. "Go to Tokyo University and tell the head administrator Minaka sent you and deliver the package to me!" He then grabbed the screen he was using to show his face and began to shake it frantically. "It is absolutely vital that you go there as soon as possible to give me the package!"

"What am I delivery boy now? Why can't you have one of your lackeys do it?"

"I can't! Or else she will know!"

"Know what now?" A new voice that sounded from Minaka's side of the call. It did not sound happy

"…Oh nothing!"

Taking that as the sign that the conversation is over, I pressed the hang up button so I won't be involved in whatever Minaka caused.

Ugh. So much work to do. I don't even want to think right now. I just want to go to sleep.

Laying down on the seats and spreading out my legs I closed my eyes so I can sleep. Closing my eye again, I started to drift to sleep. If only I had done that a second later. Then I would have realized that I was not the only person in the train and would have avoided what happened next.

"You aren't the only one that has been up all night."

… Wait what?

Before I could react, I felt a weight press itself on my stomach and hair under my chin, knocking the air out of me. Opening my eyes, I saw Karasuba's form on top of my own body as if she is using it as a pillow to sleep. Looking at Karasuba's face, I noticed her face relax and not look bloodthirsty and battle hungry as before, her eyes closed as she was also trying to get some shut eye. She looked calm and adorable. Well not really because she was covered in blood stains but that is beside the point.

"You were always the best pillow. Maybe I should just take you away and use you as one from now on. You are just that comfortable.

…There are three possible options. One is to scream from having a person covered in blood on your chest and can easily kill you with just one hand. Most people would prefer that option if the person killed thousands of people with just a sword. Another option is the take what I got and enjoy having a woman's body on me. Most do not get the opportunity and it felt a little nice honestly. Though I can live without her position of her sleep. Her right leg was dangerously close to a particular part of my body while her hands were wrapped around her neck, pulling me close.

The third option was to secretly move and punch her off of m-

"Oh and if you move too much or talk or tell anyone about this, I'll cut you."

"…"

Ah Crap she knows! How did she know?

Why do these sekirei always think I am a pillow? I am a mercenary dang it! Not part of a freaking bed dang it! Has my position fallen so far in this world?!

* * *

Opening my eyes, I realized that I the area was familiar. It seems like I am in the same dream that I had the night before. Same forest, same trees, same grass, same girl with a vengeance jumping from a tree with her mouth wide open as if to take a bite out of me. Yep same as before…

…Wait…

Before the little blond could bite me I stepped out of the way and held her by the back of her shirt like I did before. "Kusano is an adult! You're a meanie!"

"How could you say that? I am not a mean person."

"Because you look like po-

"Oops. Butter fingers." Dropping the girl, her face planted itself into the ground and I put my foot on her back. "Oh you must really like the ground. Maybe you should marry it. You would be such a nice couple."

"Fuuuggggghhhh"

"Kid"

"FFFFFFUUUUUGGGGHHH"

_Rumble_

"?"

As the girl started to fume at my treatment of her, the ground started to shake. It was getting hard to keep my balance and I noticed that none of the trees up ahead are shaking yet the trees around me are. So it's not an earthquake. Wait, I vaguely remember Minaka saying something about her powers. He said she caused an overgrowth of plants. Well it's obvious her ability is to control plants but it should not activiate as long as there isn't…dirt and plants…

I looked down at the grass. Yep. There is some dirt and some plants…

Ah crap.

Roots burst from the ground, looking very thick and impossible to break from. The earth made way for them, causing the grass to be replaced by thick roots. They wrapped around my arms and legs to completely restrict any movement. Even as I tried to struggle, the roots did not even budge or shake.

Yep… I'm trapped.

Looking at the blonde-haired girl, she walked up to me in a haughty manner and puffed out her chest, looking very proud of what she did. "Now you are one with the ground… kid. Heh, heh, heh." This little evil brat. I wonder if the reason she was attacked was because she acted like this to her attackers. It made much more sense.

As she continued to laugh, I maintained my emotionless expression and proceeded to break her little delusion. "How old are you?"

"Kusano is six."

"Can you pee on the toilet correctly?"

"Uhh… Kusano can do that."

"Can you multiply six by seven, square root it and multiply the answer by the sixth power, putting it into the equation for gravity and using that to find the wavelengths of light within an artificial diamond and discover the properties that made it up which are located in Arid climate areas?"

"…Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh?" The little girl somehow got dizzy and started to franticly wave her arms, trying and failing to figure out what I just said.

"Then that means you are a kid… kid" I spoke completely gibberish and I don't even know what to do if someone asked me that but she doesn't have to know that.

Unfortunately, #108 did not like that at all and jumped towards me with her jaws wide open.

_*Chomp*_

Ow

_**7 Days until Ground Zero**_

* * *

"*Munch* *Munch* Okay here is the deal. You are not to do anything unless I ask you to. That means no cutting down anyone unless I say so. No provoking anyone unless I say so and most importantly, you are, and I cannot stress this enough, under no circumstances, no matter what happens, allowed to fight Mutsu. Do I make myself clear?" I would have appeared more serious if I was not eating a cheese pastry at the moment with crumbs on the sides of my mouth.

"*Yawn*" Karasuba sounded tired but still amused for what is about to come. She was eating an apple herself as she continued to follow me, everyone around us avoiding eye contact and making way for us. It is understandable since Karasuba has a sword visible to all and the private MBI army is not doing anything about it. "You are no fun. But what about if you are attac-"

"Even if I am attacked, you are not to attack back. You would use it as an excuse to kill fight everyone in the mansion."

Karasuba, rather than argue with me, smiled at my rules placed upon her and my expectations of what she will do. "You know me so well."

"Unfortunately." I sighed and palmed my face. This is going to be so annoying.

After sleeping a few hours on the train and a huge struggle to convince Karasuba, half asleep, to get off me, we got off the train and started to head to our destination. Of course, we got something to eat but we needed a quick snack as for this to work, time has to be on our side. Though time was wasted because I had to cover the bloodstains on her clothes with a cleaning agent. One should always carry one so they do not get arrested by the police or have people run away in fear after performing an act of violence. Of course there are some who don't really care and like that kind of stuff because they think 'it's interesting'. Karasuba is one of them.

Or maybe she just wanted to scare me because she is fast and highly skilled enough not to get blood on herself. Annoying aliens. Always causing problems for me.

Karasuba is coming along as a deterrent to prevent anyone from attacking me or getting any smart ideas. She is also here to assist me in identifying and confirming the identity of the unknown sekirei. All I want is to root her out, not kill her, which took a lot of words to convince Karasuba to do so. If we kill her, we will never find the source of the strange powers or the location of the jinki so we have to play our cards right. Karasuba is allowed to attack but only force her into retreating and giving false-chase to her. After that, she will stop and we can use the satellites to figure out where she is headed, possibly finding the location of the jinki and hopefully the cause of the abnormal sekirei.

I originally intended to do this alone, one of the reasons I went on the train alone, but with Karasuba here, it will make things go much smoother. I was intending to use my status as an official MBI member to gain access, seeing as how I was not fired or that I did not quit the MBI. Lying about things will only cause trouble later on and personally I do not like to lie. The only people who know about my status with the MBI are most of the members of the disciplinary squad and the MBI itself.

It was all to do one thing. I think the most likely suspect is sekirei #43 Yomi but there is no actual proof of it. Accusing people and not finding any sort of proof for doing so is not only annoying and surely cause problems, but it is not what I do. I do not accuse people for something they do not do… of course I can make it so they did do it but this is not such a case. The only way to confirm what I predicted is to check with the people who know her and know what she regularly does.

Of course, that is only one of my goals. Depending on how this plays out. I can complete more than one goal.

But there is one problem. I am basically gambling this whole thing. If I am wrong, and what I am going to do is completely pointless and I accused the wrong person… well things will just get annoying. So I triple checked to confirm and I am absolutely sure that it is Yomi. Although there is another problem.

Even if the suspect is #43 Yomi, how exactly will I prove it? She can just change her clothes or have an alibi so she would not be identified as the unknown sekirei. Not only that but by using her ashikabi's trust, she can make this whole thing collapse and end it with her going free, leaving me with nothing to prove that she is the unknown sekirei that attacked me. Doing so will most likely cause another attack to be made and next time, it will not be the same as before. Whoever is pulling the strings can send some other abnormal sekirei after me but this time with an intent to kill.

So once again, another job has my life on the line. Annoying aliens and secret plots. Why can't jobs be easy for once?

Though #43 Yomi made the greatest mistake without realizing it. She attacked me thinking that I would take it lying down and not do anything to her. But she is wrong. Oh I would take it lying down because I don't really care… if I was not currently hired by a client. It is better to let enemies think they killed me so they would not bother me again. However, this was no such case. Now that her presence endangers the safety of my client there is only one thing left to do.

Mercilessly destroy her and make sure my job goes smoothly.

"Ho? You have a dangerous glint in your eye. I wonder what you will do. You always seem to amuse me when I least expect it." Karasuba smiled at me as she walked beside me, noticing that I was zoned out for a few seconds.

"The glint is probably just some dust in my eye and the amusement is because you have nothing better to do with your life other than kill and watch chaos unfold. Ever thought of a hobby?" It should be mentioned that despite Karasuba killed a lot people, I am not really afraid of her so I am probably the only person that is bold enough to talk back to her and even insult her.

Whether one labels this as bravery, insanity, or a case of suicidal tendencies, I do not care. I am not a bootlicker. I am more of a person who takes that boot and shove it in the owner's mouth, making him the bootlicker. Of course, I think of it as the way I deal with the annoying things occurring in my life. Now if only it did not cause me so much pain and cause things to get more annoying.

"I do have a hobby. How could you possibly think th-"

"If the hobby involves weapons or killing of any kind, warfare, and destruction, it doesn't count."

"It does count. It relaxes me and it is a daily activity."

"Relaxes? It excites you which causes you to do it more."

"Therefore, it is a daily hobby."

"More like an addiction really, rather than a hobby."

"It's not an addiction if it does not cause problems."

"I feel that your definition of problems is a little lacking and it does cause problems."

"Oh? And what problems does it cause?"

"You coming on to me in a savage way that may cause me bodily harm and a few body parts to be lost while also making me feel violated due to the bloodlust that you have."

"Thank you for the compliment Zike-chan."

"Your welcome. I got a Taser for you nice and charged in case you lose control of yourself. Don't worry, the voltage will definitely kill you."

"How is that supposed to make me not worry exactly?"

"It makes you feel like an insect, twitching as you take your last breaths. After all, after calling every human an insect, you must have some hidden desire to become one. Your spirit animal is probably the ladybug."

"I don't think every human is an insect."

"Ho?"

"You're not an insect."

"Oh?"

"Just an annoying pest that won't shut up and die. I wonder if your spirit animal is the cockroach."

"Oh goodie. I evolved from an insect to a pest. I feel so much better right now."

"Glad you like it."

"That was sarcasm."

"It didn't sound like it~"

"Well a gunshot to your head would definitely sound like it."

Even though we were bantering in a rather violent and unsettling way, this was how conversations between us usually went. Karasuba rarely had anyone talk back to her before so it was a very welcome experience for her. Of course she could just get me to shut up by cutting me but that would take away the amusement she was currently having. If it was anyone other than me saying such things to her, she would have cut them down without a second thought with a smile on her face.

Since it was me, she was instead insulting me and taking the insults I give her as compliments. Annoying woman. I really hope she forgets about making me her ashikabi. As me and Karasuba continued to banter back and forth, paying no mind to the people around us, we walked to the destination we were headed to. From the train station, it would only take a few minutes to get there so there was no need to take a car or taxi to get there.

Hayato Mikogami's mansion. Hayato Mikogami otherwise known as the ashikabi of the south.

From what I can predict, an ashikabi of whatever is based on two things. The number of sekirei he/she has and the area he/she is in. From what I read on the data that Higa gave me, regular ashikabi only have one or rarely two sekirei. It was extremely rare for multiple sekirei to have the same ashikabi. That is why an ashikabi having more than two is given a special title. The person is simply more powerful than regular ashikabi due to the number of sekirei he has. Since Hayayo's mansion is located south of Shinto Teito, he has been given the title of ashikabi of the south.

I know for a fact that most of Hayato's sekirei did not simply react to him but instead he forcefully winged them. Like I mentioned before, multiple sekirei reacting to the same ashikabi is extremely rare which means the only possible way one could have that many sekirei is if he/she winged them forcefully. It also explains the reason why Takami was attacked.

Annoying kids and their desire for collecting things. What are their parents doing?

We finally reached the mansion of Mikogami, the sun setting at this point and stood in front of its stone gates. It was a very large complex. The property was the size of a four whole street blocks with the mansion made of white and grey stones in the middle. A garden with a fountain can be seen leading up to the entrance of the mansion and a few people, no doubt the maids, can be seen tending them. The mansion itself is three stories tall with windows that were very tall yet not very wide.

"Just follow me and shut up Karasuba. I do not want this to get annoying." I looked back toward the woman and she just smiled at me with her eyes crinkled.

"Lead the way. I have no doubt in my mind that things will get fun without my help."

Narrowing my eyes at the woman, I turned back toward the gates and focused on the task at hand. Walking up to the intercom, I pressed the button to get this show on the road. I also noticed that there was a camera situated above it. Whatever.

"Hello. Is Hayato Mikogami present?"

After a few seconds of silence, a young female voice spoke up. "Who are you? What business do you have here?" Naïve and arrogant. No doubt I am talking to a sekirei.

"I am here to see Mikogami for some business as a representative of the MBI. I would like to come in to see him regarding it."

After a more seconds of silence, this one being longer than the last, the same voice spoke up once more. "Mikogami-sama does not have any appointments scheduled for today. If you have problems, talk with his parents."

"But I am specifically here to see Mi-"

"Listen you turd," The voice on the other line turned aggressive, "Mikogami-sama is not seeing anyone today so get your ass out of here! Scram! Wait for me Mikogami-sama!" The intercom was then silent as the girl diverted her attention to something she deemed much more important.

… *Sigh*

"…Karasuba"

"Yes?"

"Due to Mikogami's refusal to cooperate, you are given the order to use deadly force. Any questions?"

"Nope~" The swordswoman walked in front of me and with a savage grin, Karasuba's sword flickered and cut down the gate restricting our passage into the mansion with ease, causing the people within the complex to look toward us with fear and panic, running away as they tried to get away from danger. After only a second after attacking, she sheathed her blade back into her scabbard.

(Darker than Black Ost - Laughing Vajra Kumara watch?v=T0-ipN7TP4U)

Men in black suits then rushed out of the mansion, carrying guns rushed out of the mansion, no doubt men tasked to protect Mikogami when trouble came. He is the son of a billionaire after all. They all surrounded us and pointed their weapons toward us, ready to shoot us down should we take a step further. I think there are about thirty of them to be exact.

"Put your weapons down or we will shoot!"

Karasuba used her thumb to slightly unsheathe her sword and she glanced at me with a gentle smile on her face. "Permission to cut them down?"

"Permission granted." With my merciless voice, I gave the gray-haired woman permission to take lives. With my word of confirmation, Karasuba disappeared in front of everyone's eyes. Well in front of the men in black suit's eyes anyway.

"Wait, wha-" One of the men who tried to voice his confusion at what just occurred was then cut in half in front of me. The last thing he would ever see is a woman's smile, excited at the chance to cut down her foes. It took the other men a few seconds to realize what has just occurred. It took them even more seconds to realize that more men were being cut down and that they had fight to keep their lives.

"What the hell is she?" One of the men questioned another, shaking at what is currently happening, unable to believe that it is reality.

"Who cares?!" The man next to him was also shaking but was a bit calmer. "Shoot her do-"

_Bang_

It is a good thing that they are focused on Karasuba. It makes shooting them so much easier. The man who just realized his fellow co-worker was shot next to him, widened his eyes and before he could turn his head to where the bullet came from, I shot him too. They should really stop not reacting like a deer. Even if it's only for a second, that second could cost you your life or the life of others.

The other black-suited men focused their attention on Karasuba, ignoring me and aiming their weapons at her, but before they could shoot, I shot first using the two pistols in my hand. Karasuba already cut down most of the men, ten I think, in the last ten seconds so killing the rest of them as, long as I use only one shot, would be easy since I did not have to reload.

A gray blur sped around the circle of men, blood spilling from them as soon as it appeared in front of them while I shot at them before they could be cut down by the katana. They did not even have time to scream before they lost their lives. By the time we were finished with the men surrounding us, I started walking toward the mansion, reloading my pistols and Karasuba, without even a speck of blood on her, started walking next to me, flicking her katana off to the side to rid it off the blood. Our white and gray attire blew with the wind as we walked through the carnage without even paying attention to it.

"And you said I was bloodthirsty. I thought you were not one to get angry." Karasuba casually started talking as she jumped over a pool of blood, not wanting to get her shoes wet.

"I am not angry. Annoyed yes but not angry. I was actually planning to do this without bloodshed but since you're here, I changed my plans." With no emotion except a bit of laziness, I yawned and also stepped over the pool of blood around me. Did not want to get my clothes wet. Blood stains are hard to remove. Raising my two pistols to shoulder height, I looked out for any more signs of targets.

"Oh? Did you do this for me? I am touched. Ah you missed one."

"No wait ple-" The man who survived my shot was stabbed through the heart by Karasuba's merciless blade, the wielder not even sparing a glance toward him.

"I did this for you so you would not somehow start a fight while I am talking. You missed one too."

"Please! I have a-" I shot a man who Karasuba did not fell in one blow on my left. Same I have a family excuse as ever. Annoying.

"I wonder, did you just do it this for me or did you do it for someone else?"

"…I'll leave it up to your imagination. So is the MBI already covering this up?" See this is why I do not like working with the same person again and preferred working alone. Less chance of people knowing how you worked.

"They already removed everyone away from this place and are restricting anyone from coming near."

As we continued walking, the sun started to set more and more, causing our shadows to extend with each passing second. By now, most of the gardeners, maid, or anyone not used to combat fled from where danger was present. I would say that about most if not all of the guards are dead. Now that they are dead, the Mikogami is either going to retreat or send his sekirei in to try and stop us. If he is the type of person I expect him to be, he would do the latter. Spoiled brats are ones not to realize the danger they are in after all.

We both stopped as mist started to form around us, blocking our vision of the outside world. Footsteps sounded within our ears yet we did not show any sign of panic. Unless Mikogami somehow has a fog machine, the mist is most likely caused by some type of mist sekirei user. She most likely used the mist to attack us with surprise on their side on the presumption that we could not attack without our eyes.

"How dare you try to attack our master!"

"More like stupid really."

"They do not look that strong. Especially the one with the guns."

"Whatever. Let's just take them down."

Even as the sekirei started to talk around us, preparing to strike us down, Karasuba, who is rather a bit close to me and therefore could see me despite the mist, looked toward me and smiled as she readied her katana.

"Permission to take down the enemies around us."

"…hm." I closed my eyes and considered it while scratching my head with a pistol in my hand. Well we could kill them but that would make doing what I was trying to do much harder. Although we could do it and Higa would be left with one less potential enemy to deal with. At the moment, Mikogami is most likely Higa's only threat. Then again, if I did this right, we may be able to use him to make sure we win this plan.

No. I cannot make any big moves yet, especially since some person is working behind the scenes. It is best to take only small steps at a time until I get all the information I needed. I did not want a repeat of what happened last time with the disciplinary squad years ago.

"I have a proposition for all of you." I spoke up loud enough for the surrounding sekirei to hear me after making a decision.

"…" They all grew silent. Even though I could sense their confidence, they were still on guard expecting us to make a threatening statement. I dropped my pistols on the ground and I raised my hands.

(Spice and Wolf Ost - Kenshi to Yopparai watch?v=z9BJUFJV_uk)

"We surrender"

I could literally hear the sekirei surrounding Karasuba and I somehow trip and fall flat on their faces.

"…What?"

"We surrender. Are you deaf?"

"…Why?" This time Karasuba spoke, tilting her head curiously as she tried to understand what I was trying to do.

"Because they might kill us. Those weapons that they have look threatening, sharp and shiny."

"You can't even see their weapons."

"I have x-ray vision."

"…But they can't beat me and I can stop them before they could reach you."

"Yeah… but I don't really want to. Honestly I feel like going to sleep."

"Oh? Then why don't you go to sleep over on that bench over there." Using her sword, Karasuba pointed to a bench casually within the complex. "Then I could do all of this myself.

"No. It would be too loud and would disrupt my sleep."

"Then I could fight inside. Can we fight inside? This guy wants to sleep so can we fight inside." Karasuba spoke to the sekirei surrounding us as if she were friends with them even know she was not.

"*Sigh* you can't do that either. What if you break a window?"

"Ah. That would be a problem. Don't worry, we'll be careful."

"No think about the costs. I don't want to pay for some window like kids playing baseball"

"Is that what you are worried about? What about your sleep?"

"That too. But you have to think on the global scale."

"What global scale? I am very sure this would not affect the world very much."

"I think it will. I mean, think of how it will affect our sleep in the future."

"I don't think it will affect our sleep very much in the future. It's more like you are making this a big deal when it really isn't."

"It's not a big deal? That is what shoppers say at a local mall. They go there without a care in the wall and look at the selections, thinking 'it's not a big deal'. Then when they buy something, they realize that they bought chocolate chip cookies! 'How is that not a big deal' they think. They regret it their entire lives and cannot sleep a wink due to their mistakes. Do you understand now?

"I understand that you do not like chocolate chip cookies."

"Not just chocolate chip cookies. I don't like anything chocolate. It honestly looks and tastes like crap."

"That implies that you tasted crap before."

"Wait it does? No wait let me rephrase what I just said. I meant that it tastes like something horrible that I never tasted before."

"That does not really make much sense. Plus I don't think it messes with your sleep in this case."

"Think about the trauma. My mind could be traumatized by this disastrous event. Is that what you want to do? Traumatize me?"

"I think you are too stupid to be traumatized in the first place."

"I can count to ten without problems so I have a college diploma!"

"I don't see-"

"Do you have a college diploma?"

"…"

"Yeah that's what I thought."

"…" The surrounding sekirei could only stay silent as Karasuba and I continued our conversation that has no connection to what is happening at the moment. See? Their traumatized by chocolate too.

"Are they serious right now? Are they really serious right now?"

"I am confused as you are."

"I know! How could he not like chocolate! It's a crime I say! A crime!"

"No chocolate can be very terrifying. I saw it once and I passed out on the spot. It was horrible."

"See Karasuba, there are other people disliking chocolate." I spoke up after I heard the other sekirei's conversation.

(Music Stop)

It was like her name was taboo. No one spoke up after I said Karasuba's name. The air grew colder and it was like the area got darker. I could hear weapons dropping on the ground and could literally sense the fear of the sekirei.

"Ka- Karasuba. As in the black sekriei?"

"You're kidding right. We- we must have just misheard him right. Right?"

"Like I said before, are you deaf? And it seems you guys are misunderstanding something." I interrupted their conversations as I focused on the situation at hand, just before their panic could spread too much. "We are not surrendering because you might kill us. We are surrendering so we do not kill you. After all, it would be a problem if you all died."

It took a few seconds for my words to settle in, as if what I just said was a joke. How would you feel if someone just came and attacked you, only to surrender so they could not kill you, as if doing so would take no effort at all?

"Don't screw with us! We outnumber you! She can't take on all of us!" Oh she is the same person that was talking to me on the phone. What a coincidence.

"Numbers do not matter here. Although you are too much of a scatterbrain to realize it. Are you sure you are a sekirei or are you just a bird with a pea-sized brain? It is very hard to tell at this point."

"You! I am not going to let some idiot insult me like this!"

"Mistuha wait!"

The words fell on deaf ears as I heard footsteps quickly approaching me. I looked up and saw a yellow-haired, pony-tailed girl, with a look of rage on her face with…

Whatever. Who cares?

"Karasuba."

As if my word was death itself, the girl's life ended with a simple slash of a sword, and her body flew past me due to her leaping to attack me. What sekirei # was she? Meh. Doesn't matter.

"I think surrendering is no longer an option Zike, seeing as how they tried to attack us just now. Permission to cut them all down?" Karasuba spoke up with a smile on her face as she stood in front of me after she performed her unspoken task, ready to cut down her fellow sekirei with no mercy.

"Well since you put it that way," Karasuba's smile widened and the fear of the surrounding sekirei increased as I started to lean toward a violent decision.

"I would really appreciate it if you would not cause any more trouble. I do not want to fight and I know, neither do you."

The mist started to go away as a calm and collected voice entered the area. As my vision increased, I saw the sekirei around surrounding me, proving that I did not hear or predict anything wrong but I ignored them and directed my attention to the sekirei standing in front of me.

Orange scarf. Gray hair. Sword at his waist. Looking like some type of playboy. Yep.

Standing in front of me is #5 Mutsu. Well then:

"Hey Mutsu. Heard your ashikabi is a boy. Didn't know you swung that way." Despite the developing situation, I called out to Mutsu with a lazy voice and Karasuba sheathed her sword looking a little put out from being denied further conflict by #5's entrance.

The swordsman only sighed and pinched his nose. I wonder why?

* * *

"This is some good tea."

"It still doesn't beat the MBI's tea though. Their tea is the best after all."

"Don't let them hear you Karauba." I did not whisper, allowing everyone to hear me loud and clear. "They are very sensitive about their tea. Who knows what they will do if we say such things."

Mikogami's eye twitched as he heard the conversation between the swordswoman and I. "I can hear you."

"Crap. He has supersonic hearing. He heard everything. We are in for it now." Sipping my tea, my actions betrayed my words.

The room we were in was designed with white marble and large windows to my left side. It was very clear to see that the sun has already set and the lights within the mansion complex lit up to dispel the darkness around it. The room is not really that big but also not small, just about the size of a conference room. There were potted plants in the four corners of the room and silver, double doors behind me, closed to keep this conversation private. Four lights lit up this room, caved into the ceiling so it would be hard to destroy or break.

Sitting on a sofa next to Karauba, both of us sipping tea, we faced Mikogami and Mutsu who were both sitting on a sofa themselves, yet they were not sipping tea. Mikogami has short, brown hair and eyes with a white formal attire that obviously showed that he is a wealthy individual. Mutsu did not change his appearance over the years, still wearing an orange scarf and black shirt and pants with an x, showing his skin a little on his chest. In the corner, stood #65 Taki, with long hair and an elegant dress the same color as mist. She was just here as a maid instead of a regular human maid due to obvious reasons. The other sekirei could not come due to this information being confidential. She is sweating at the moment, most likely due to Karasuba's presence. But she has Mutsu on her side. What is there to be afraid of?

"Hey Mutsu. You didn't tell me you kissed a boy. I didn't know you swung that way."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me. Can you stop bringing it up?"

…Really, what is there to be afraid of?

"Oh it's not like I am insulting you kissed-a-boy-Mutsu-kun, I am not insulting you at all."

"It sure does sound like you are insulting me." Despite his voice being calm, I hear slight annoyance in his voice.

"No I am not insulting you at all swung-the-other-way-Mutsu-kun. I am not against the choices that you make kissed-a-boy-Mutsu-kun. You are who you are. You are a grown man and you can totally be a pedophile who kisses young boys on the street. I am not insulting you at all pedophile-Mutsu."

"If you are trying to embarrass me, you should stop now. A sekirei should never be embarrassed by the sekirei he or she has chosen."

"I am not trying to embarrass you at all kissed-a-boy-Mutsu-kun… hey Mikogami. How did it feel to kiss a pedophile?"

"Wh- What?" Mikogami turned red at my attention being directed toward him.

"Zike!" Mutsu growled at my words.

"What pedophile-Mutsu? All I am doing is asking a question to break the ice. So how was it? Hey. How was it?"

"Zike will you please stop trying to-"

"Uh" Mikogami interrupted Mutsu before he could finish. "It felt warm… and somehow very pleasant."

…

I sipped my tea in silence, staring at Mutsu while Karasuba burst out laughing next to me, holding her mouth and failing to contain herself. The rich boy turned red in embarrassment and the swordsman palmed his face. #65 herself was blushing at what was just spoken.

"Well its official. You are a pedophile kissed-a-boy-Mutsu-kun. Congratulations on your new profession."

"As much as you would like to delve into this matter further," Mutsu looked me in the eyes with nothing but annoyance presence on his face, "Will you get to the reason why you are here?"

"Ah yes. Mikogami's attack on an MBI official. Of course."

And with that, the three people in front of me tensed up and Karasuba stopped laughing, instead smiling at the current situation.

"While some of the rules of the plan are not mentioned, there are some unspoken ones that people should already be aware of such as do not going against the MBI. After all, they are the ones that make sure your sekirei is living and breathing on this planet instead of dying in pain and agony at the moment. Can you explain why you would attack one of the adjustors of the MBI, why you attacked one of the people responsible for your sekirei being alive?"

It was not hard to figure out who attacked #108. Not many ashikabi know much about the sekirei plan so the ones with only one or two sekirei are out, leaving only the ones with more than one sekirei suspects. Higa is out since he would have ordered me to capture #108. The other ashikabi with a lot of sekirei is not much interested with the plan due from what I read on his profile and it did not really make sense that he would attack #108… well there is a reason but I really hope it is extremely unlikely. All that leaves is Mikogami as the supposed attacker.

Mikogami is not used to conversations like this. Conversations where he is in trouble and in danger of facing consequences. Rich boys like him are usually spoiled and there are rarely people who are any different. They never faced danger due to overprotection. They never faced trouble outside of his family due to his family's wealth. Which was why Mikogami was sweating and refusing to meet my eyes at the moment.

Even for all of his family's wealth and power, he knew that the MBI is a company that should not be messed with. After all, they are the leading pharmaceutical company in the world. He probably thought that since this is the sekirei plan, he can do whatever he wants while following the rules. After all, from what I can guess, the MBI did not do anything after he attacked Takami. The company did own a private army and they can supposedly appear anywhere at any time so when soldiers did not come knocking on his door, he expected his actions to go unpunished. From the looks of it, the MBI would not done anything at all… which I came here knowing that.

It really makes me wonder if Minaka knew I was coming here and sent Karasuba so I would do what I needed to do with violence.

Before the panicking Mikogami could answer my question, Mutsu put his hand on his shoulder and as if some conversation was spoken without words, the boy took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes. He could not rely on Mutsu to speak for him. Doing so would be hurting his pride not only as an ashikabi but as a man.

"I attacked due to an un-winged sekirei being nearby and despite all my efforts to keep the official unharmed, she was unfortunately harmed by one of my sekirei. I apologize for the trouble I have caused for the MBI but there is no rule that strictly forbids injuring members of the MBI." No stuttering. Calculated and elegant just like I expected.

And already confirmed my suspicions and in the palm of my hands like I suspected.

"That is true yes and you are correct." The boy blinked at my acceptance, expecting me to argue against him. "There are no rules saying you cannot attack a member of the MBI or un-winged sekirei. In fact, we really do not care what you do as long as you follow the rules to prevent any major troubles from occurring."

"Then why?" Despite confidence present in Mikogami's voice, there was still slight unease.

I sipped my tea and my cold eyes fell on the rich boy. "The problem is not that you attacked an MBI official. The problem is that you attacked Hiroto Minaka's wife." Seeing as how Karasuba did not say anything at what I just said, another suspicion is confirmed.

If someone attacked some a chairman's employee, the chairman would express some worry and try to sue the attacker if he actually cared of course. Most chairman that I have met did not really care what happens to his employees and would rather try to exploit it so he could gain money. However when a family member or spouse involved, that is a different story. The chairman would not only try to make money from it.

He/she would also try to completely destroy the person who caused harm… or just mourn like a crybaby and try do stupid things. Mikogami is fortunate that Minaka is not normal and would rather focus on the sekirei plan rather than on the people around him.

The rich boy started to sweat more and tried to find the words to respond to my statement. He knew what it is like to have power. He also knows what its like to abuse it. The boy was no doubt wondering what Minaka was thinking of doing to him but unknown to him, he would not do anything. "I truly apologize for what I have done and I am willing to do what the MBI desires to make up for it." Mutsu closed his eyes in acceptance as he knew there was no way avoiding this and #65 clenched her dress in the corner.

Trying to go against the MBI would only cause disastrous results but also working for them could also cause even worse consequences. They did not know what they would do or what they wanted. For all they know, they could be told to do something that could jeopardize their lives. They are forced into a corner with no way out due to their actions.

"Just kidding. The MBI is not going to do anything." I yawned as both #65 and Mikogami's eyes widened in surprise and confusion while Mutsu and Karasuba silently just took a cup a tea and started drinking as if this is a common occurrence. See this is why I do not working with others. They sometimes know what you are trying to do. "But if I had not come here, they most likely would have done something. Losing one sekirei is lucky considering what Minaka may have done." I yawned and raised my cup for #65 to refill my cup. The woman still a little shocked, walked over and spoke up what was on everyone's minds.

"Then why did you bring this up and attacked us?"

"The reason is because I do not know what Minaka is doing. Nobody does. He may have possibly attacked you for revenge or make your life miserable in the future. I just attacked first so he would not do anything to extreme or anything at all. If I did not attack, you would have most likely lost more than just a sekirei."

"Then what you are trying to say is that you want a favor."

"What I want is a fa-" I glared at Mutsu at saying what I was about to say but he just continued sipping his tea without a care in the world. "What the pedophile-Mutsu said." The gray-haired man's eye twitched. "You will not know when or where I will call it in but when I call it in, I want it done without question. Do not worry, the favor wi-"

"The favor will most likely be extreme and may cost your lives."

"Will most likely… Karasuba are you going to do this now? Are you both going to do this now?" The gray-haired woman only smiled at me and continued to drink her tea.

"Wait, if the MBI is not going to do anything, why should I even do you a favor." Mikogami stood from his street despite the lightheadedness between former and current members of the disciplinary squad.

"Because he will have you killed right now if you do not do it because, and quote, 'annoying sekirei.'" This time both Karasuba and Mutsu spoke at the same time.

"…Do you want me to punch you guys in the face? Because I really want to punch you guys in the face."

"I would cut you if you did that," Karasuba chirped.

"Same" Mutsu added his own two scents in.

"…Annoying sekirei."

"You can't kill him! Even the black sekirei cannot stand against Mutsu right?" #65 spoke up in outrage and Mikogami himself was agreeing with her. However, they were met with nothing but silence. "Right?"

"Even if I could defeat Karasuba, Zike would just shoot our ashikabi in the process, terminating all of us." Mutsu spoke up while casually sipping his tea.

"Plus, even if the other sekirei came here, we could escape and he would order not only somehow call the rest disciplinary squad to destroy you." Karasuba smiled and she raised her cup, signaling for a refill as if she did not just threaten to kill #65 and her ashikabi. The mist wielding-sekirei hesitantly went over to refill the swordswoman cup.

"Bloodthirsty here and pedophile there aside, it would be best for you to do me a favor or two and become temporary allies with me."

"Why would I want to be allies with the MBI?" The rich boy spoke up which was interesting considering how freaked out he was by how his own sekirei and the black sekirei were talking casually about what I would do.

"He doesn't mean allies with the MBI. He means allies with himself alone. In my opinion, it would be best to just do what he wants." The gray-haired man gave his advice to his ashikabi, earning a look of confusion from the boy.

"Why? From the looks of it, he looks like a participant of the sekirei plan himself."

"Not only would it be troublesome to have him as an enemy-"

"You're troublesome yourself you freaking pedophile, boy-kissing, perverted-"

"-But something is going on occurring which the MBI has no control over," Ignoring me, Mutsu continued what he was saying after being interrupted.

"What makes you say that Mutsu-kun?" Karasuba smiled at the fellow gray haired sekirei.

"Because Zike has not brought up the real reason he is here and he is with you. I expected him to bring it up immediately so he can get it done and be rid of 'one less annoyance' or at least come here alone. The fact that he hasn't done either means that there is something even the MBI is unaware about and if he reveals it, it may cause him to be at a disadvantage."

All eyes turned to me and found me in the middle of picking my nose. "I am not saying anything until the rich boy accepts what I asked." Mikogami and his sekirei turned toward Karasuba for a possible way out of this but she also just shrugged and continued to sip her tea.

Mikogami looked toward Mutsu for guidance and the swordsman nodded. "I accept. So why are you really here?" Now that what I personally came to do is out of the way, I have no problems discussing what I officially came to do. I normally worked alone but that did not mean I would always do so. The only times I work with others is when my life is in danger… which is always in danger now that I realize it…

Let me rephrase that. The only time I work with others is when I feel like my life is in danger… which is about almost every day…

...I work with others when I feel like it and I feel like working now.

"Why am I here? Well in a galaxy far, far-"

_Bang_

I didn't get to finish my sentence as Karasuba slammed my head onto the table. She was sipping her tea while doing it too.

"As much as we would like to hear your stories, it would be best if you would get to the matter at hand. We already wasted enough time."

"…"

I clicked my tongue in annoyance which I made sure nobody saw as I lifted my head. I already kept this going as long as I could. Dang it.

"There is an unknown sekirei in the plan which the MBI is not aware of using abilities that are unusual and abnormal. Not only has she attacked one of the MBI facilities but she also attacked and almost killed me. From what I seen and felt, the sekirei is not an unknown sekirei at all. She is just one of the regular sekirei who has been affected with something to increase her abilities and change her appearance."

"And you believe that we know and have the sekirei?" Mikogami narrowed his eyes as he stared at me.

"You may or may not know but yes, I believe that you do have the sekirei being questioned. Like I mentioned before, she can change her appearance so you may not know at all that an abnormal sekirei is in your presence. I believe that the sekirei is #43 Yomi which you have winged."

Mikogam and Mutsu were silent while I stared at them. After a while, Mutsu spoke up. "Where is your proof that it is her?"

"While I do not have physical evidence as I was to being stabbed, her powers are extremely similar to the ones mentioned on the sekirei's profile. You should be aware that it is rare, if not, uncommon for sekirei's to have the same unique abilities as another one. Abilties meaning techniques for their weapon or the power to use elements to be more specific. All that leaves is your sekirei, #43 Yomi, as a suspect."

"…" The rich boy considered his next words. After all, I was clearly accusing one of his sekirei of attacking others with or without his knowledge of the acts. "If there is proof that Yomi is the sekirei, just if, but what are you planning to do with her once you find out?"

"Beats me. I could really care less what happened to her or what the MBI could do. If I had to guess, they would question her and maybe run a few tests on her to find the cause of her abilities and to find out who granted them to her."

"Wait! You think that someone simply gave her the abilities? Then why?" This time it was #65 that questioned me.

"I don't know… completely." The slight pause that I made did not go unnoticed by the two sword-wielding sekirei. "But the person or sekirei may have done so to both control Yomi and gain an advantage in the plan or to test out something. Again, I do not really know because I was being stabbed last night."

"But that's impossible. She was asleep with the rest of us in Mikogami's mansion. There is no way she could attack you last night."

"Did you see her go to sleep or in her bed? Did you simply see her when she was in her bed and waited for everyone else to fall asleep so she can move without being spotted?" The light-blue haired sekirei was silent.

"My sekirei is not the unknown sekirei." Mikogami mumbled. "There is no way that she could be the one. If she was, I would have known."

"Then we can ask her to find the answers."

"She is not here. I sent her out and she will not be coming back for a while" While the young man talked looking agitated, I suddenly sensed someone enter the mansion complex. It was deeply hidden, but I could also sense the same aura of the sekirei that attacked me. She's here. I knew that she wasn't here before since I did not see her with the sekirei that met me at the entrance. Looks like the stalling paid off in the end. Now all she needs to do is see the dead bodies in front of the mansion. "So it would be best for you to leave."

"…*Sigh*. Okay. Since she is not here we can't really prove anything. I guess we will just-"

I did not get to finish my sentence before the double doors behind me violently burst open.

"Mikogami-sama are you alright!" A young, female, panicked voice sounded out and I turned my head toward her. The girl in front of me had brown hair and eyes with a black and white gown with similar colored gloves and stockings. Around her neck is a red ribbon and in her hand is a large scythe with a black handle and red metal on the top holding the scythe. She turned her eyes toward me and narrowed her eyes while I just lazily stared at her.

Target spotted. Begin mission.

"Looks like she came back sooner than expected. There should be no problems asking the questions now right?" I turned my head toward the rich boy to find him biting his fingernail, no doubt annoyed and irritated at the developing situation. For some reason, both Karasuba and Mutsu casually placed a hand on their weapons as soon as they looked at me. Whatever.

"Mikogami is everything all right?" I could feel the girl's eyes on the back of my head but I just ignored her and stared at Mikogami, waiting for him to react.

"Yes everything is fine. We just have some rude guests who would like to ask some questions. It would only take a moment."

"Okay." I heard footsteps and the sekirei walked over to the rich boy's side, putting her scythe back on her back as there is no sign of a fight breaking out at the moment. She faced toward me and continued to glare at me.

The tension between us could probably be felt by everyone in the room. This was no an interrogation but now a battle. Right now I have to be careful of what I say and #43 also has to do the same. If one of us loses, it would not be pleasant. If I lose, it would not be good in the long run due to word might spreading that I am a person who accuses others and does underhanded things without a reason. While I could care less about what people thought about me, I do care about my job at the moment, which is working for Higa. If I lose, I would lose my job or worse, the trust of my client. That is only the best case scenario.

Worst case and most likely scenario of losing, I would die due to whoever gave #43 the powers manipulation and lack of information. Always taking a step at deaths door. Just like always.

Failure is not an option.

Now it is time to play the risk game. "Where were you last night?"

"I was asleep at the mansion. If you ask the others they would also say that I was asleep. We don't like staying up too long after all."

"Why did you attack the MBI?"

"The only time I attacked is when we were trying to wing an un-winged sekirei but you must have already discussed that with Mikogami-sama." Annoying. This really doesn't help since I do not have much to work with.

"And when did you do that?"

"Shouldn't you already know that? After all, you must have be informed about everything the MBI does since you work for them. Is it possible you were left out for some reason?"

"I didn't mention that I worked with the MBI."

"Oh excuse me if I made a mistake. I just assumed it was so since you are with the black sekirei"

"You are excused. How well informed are you about the plan? After all, you knew where an un-winged was at even though she has not finished adjustments."

"We just found her by pure coincidence. I just felt her when we were passing by."

"You felt her?"

"Yes. You should know that sekirei can sense each other if they are nearby." I looked toward Karasuba for confirmation and she nodded to say that it is true.

"And it was just pure coincidence?"

"Just pure coincidence."

"Well in that case, it must be a coincidence that you wield a scythe just like the abnormal sekirei the MBI is investigating."

"Abnormal sekirei? What do you mean?"

"The MBI and I were attacked by an unknown sekirei wielding a scythe."

"Oh? What did she look like?

"Red eyes and white hair carrying a scythe."

"Well I obviously do not have red eyes or white hair so you must be mistaken."

"It is possible that you changed your appearance so you would not be discovered."

"But I am with Mikogami-sama most of the time. Also, how could I change my eye color?"

"By using specially crafted contact lenses."

"I don't wear any contact lenses though."

"Then it mu-"

"*Yawn* I am getting rather tired. After all I have been out all day and it is getting rather late at night. Can we end this now so I can go to sleep? I am feeling rather weary."

"Wait you can't just-"

"That is enough!" I was interrupted again as Mikogami stood from his seat, raising his voice at me. "Not only did you hurt my bodyguards but you also terminated one of my sekirei and you are now making Yomi feel uncomfortable. You don't even have concrete proof that she is the sekirei you are looking for even though I know she isn't. Would you so kindly leave since you are causing nothing but trouble?"

As the young boy glared at me, I saw #43's eyes glint and her mouth slightly turn upward as if victory was hers. If I continued this now, it would only harm me in the end and I would not get any closer to doing what I needed to do to get to the bottom of this.

"…*Sigh* I guess you really do not have the abnormal sekirei. Let's go Karasuba." I stood up from my seat and Karasuba did the same. I noticed that neither Mutsu nor Karasuba have put their hands away from their swords. As I looked at Karasuba's face and she crinkled her eyes as she tilted her head and smiled, asking a question without words:

Are you really done yet?

…Seriously, I really do not like working with others unless I feel like it. Their faces are really annoying when they know I am going to do something.

"Oh before I go, there is one thing I have to check before I go." Before the young, rich boy could speak, I raised my hand. "Don't worry, it is not about what we discussed but rather it is for your sekirei's own safety."

I took the boy's silence as a signal for me to continue. "While the sekirei have undergone adjustments, the MBI has not really delved into winging for other ashikabi all that well so we need to check their tama, or more specifically, the crest on the back of their necks to make sure nothing is wrong. If it appears to be normal and there is nothing odd, then there is nothing to be concerned about. It will usually look like some pink bird with markings below it."

"They looked fine to me when I saw it."

"Yes but when was the last time you saw it? When you winged them perhaps?"

"…"

"Things can change over time. So it would be best if I could check to make sure nothing is wrong."

I looked toward #43 and even though she glared at me, I could see her sweating.

Checkmate.

It was a gamble but if something happens to a sekirei, it would be visually shown through their bodies or their crest. The crest is connected to their tama or the source where they get their powers. If the tama changes in any way or is modified, it is possible that the crest may be too. #43's neck is hidden by her hair so nobody would suspect that something is wrong with her or that her crest is modified or abnormal in anyway.

Well nobody except me of course.

"So can I check your neck Yomi so I can make sure nothing is out of order?"

"I don't want you touching me." She covered her neck with her hand and gritted her teeth.

"That's fine."

"?"

"Mikogami can check it since you are so uncomfortable with me checking it. It should be fine if he checks it right? After all, there is nothing to hide from him right?"

"!"

"Right?" I raised an eyebrow due to the reluctance of the brown-haired girl.

"… Right."

Mikogami looked worried at his sekirei's strange behavior as he walked toward her. She looked at him in guilt as she lifted her hair to show him the back of her neck. Since the boy was a bit short, he had to stand on his toes a bit to see it.

"…There is nothing wrong with it. So can you please be on your way?" He said this with no change of emotion. If he found something, he did not know it.

He most likely found something strange but wanted me not to find out since he did not like me or he didn't want his sekirei to be in danger. After all, he didn't know what the MBI would do to her if they found out she was the abnormal sekirei.

However, #43 slightly widened her eyes for a split second before she lowered them back down to hide her reaction from everyone else. Too late. I was looking at her the entire time. That reaction was all that I needed to do what I needed to do.

Abnormal sekirei identified. Confirming…

(Play Darker than Black Ost – Leaf of Csardas watch?v=aK1RWBsYEKk)

"Well if that's everything. Karasuba." Nobody but me was prepared for what happened next.

The swordswoman blurred in front of the scythe wielder despite her being behind me, a fair distance away from her and drew her katana to take her down. #43 widened her eyes in surprise as the blade loomed closer to her body. If she was a normal sekirei, she would not have time to react to Karasuba's superior speed and would be cut down. If she was a normal sekirei, all she could do is watch as her life flashed before her eyes.

But she is not a normal sekirei.

In an instant, the scythe wielding sekirei's hair turned white and her eyes red, the same appearance as the one who attacked me. Instead of grabbing her scythe to defend herself from the blade which would no doubt cost her life, she extended her hand and opened it. Before she even moved her arm, I saw the air distorting around her hand.

Instead of Karasuba's blade slicing her in half, a small explosion sounded out inside the room, the shockwave having enough for the lights to be knocked out and to shatter the windows. I covered my eyes and pushed against the wave so I would not move. Mutsu and #65 did the same.

When we looked up, the only light illuminating this room was the moon itself and it made Karasuba's blade, redirected, shine in the light. The woman grinned as the abnormal sekirei glared at her, scythe in hand. Behind her, Mikogami was unharmed, with his hair covering his eyes, making it hard to tell her expression.

"Why… why didn't you tell me?" The young boy's voice was strained as he asked a question directed toward his own sekirei.

"Mikogami…"

"I thought we were friends. I thought that I could believe in you and that these people were wrong, that they were mistaken. Because there is no possible way that my own sekirei could keep something from me."

"…"

"So why didn't you tell me! Answer me!"

"…I"

"It was probably because the price that she paid for her powers would have caused you trouble. It would either be killing the rest of your sekirei and having you to herself or putting you in danger for the person who gave her your powers but being assured you would live." I offered my predictions despite how sensitive this situation is becoming. I did not care for the drama. Right now I have to break her so it would be somewhat less hard for me to kill her should we fight.

"Shut up!" The abnormal sekirei yelled at me as she looked at me with nothing but hate in her eyes. Like I would cower from being stared at.

"Is that what it is? Is that why you hid this from me? Just so you could have me for yourself?" The boy raised his voice as his anger was reaching its limit.

"That is not true!"

"Then why didn't you tell me! In fact, why didn't you ask me before you got whatever you have?!"

"…"

"Then it's true then. You just wanted me for yourself. You just wanted to do what you wanted so you could have me for yourself. You did this without asking me what I felt about it."

Tears started to appear in the corner of the abnormal sekirei's eyes as she turned her head toward her ashikabi.

"Mikogami I-"

"As much as I would look at this drama, I have a job to do." I took out a pistol and aimed it at the abnormal sekirei's head. "#43 Yomi, you are under arrest for attacking one of the facilities of the MBI and stealing valuable items. You are to surrender right now and drop your weapons. If anyone attempts to help her, you will be dealt with by the MBI. Karasuba, take her down."

"With pleasure." The black sekirei moved once more to take down her target.

"!" #43, with her enhanced abilities, quickly created another explosion directed toward the ground before the Karasuba could strike her again. The force of the blast shattered the marble and caused dust to fill the room, causing everyone to cover their eyes lest they damage them beyond repair.

With the little bit of vision I had left, I saw the white-haired sekirei jump out the window as she looked at her sekirei with a pained expression before she looked forward. By the time everyone's vision cleared, she was nowhere to be seen. Shouts could be heard before a car explosion sounded out. Looking outside, I saw flames rising up from beyond the walls surrounding the mansion. She must have met with the MBI that was blocking off the mansion and cut them down.

"Karasuba, make sure not to kill her when you chase her we need her alive."

"I know, I know." The silver-haired woman casually waved her hand as she jumped out the window to follow the abnormal sekirei leaving only me, Mutsu, Mikogami, and #65 in the room.

(Music Stop)

"… You had enough time to stop Karasuba Mutsu, so why did you not move?" I voiced a question, a few moments after the swordswoman chased after her target.

"…Because then you would have a reason to send the MBI after Mikogami…" He did not look at me, but rather stared at where Karasuba and Yomi went.

"Despite that being true, there is another reason isn't there?"

"…"

"You did not know where or how she got her powers. There is no telling what may have happened to her. For all we know, she would have been controlled later on in the plan by the person who gave her the powers and would have killed Mikogami should he become a problem. After all, he did wing some un-winged sekirei by force and the person who gave Yomi her powers could have given it to her to take him down and use her at the same time."

"…"

The other two people in the room was silent as they considered my words.

"…But did you really have to cause a scene?" The swordsman turned one eye toward me with a cold expression. He did not mean harm or hostility. That was his usual expression.

"I think it went well all things considered. Nobody was harmed… except the people outside of course and I am currently not on the brink of death. Though this will bite me in the back later on. It always does. Shame I couldn't get anything out of her to find out where I got her powers though."

"…"

"Don't look at me like that. If I didn't do anything, you all would have died sooner or later and now you are aware that something is happening in the plan other than a sekirei battle. Better for this to happen now then later on in the game. Somebody had to pull the trigger and that someone, though it annoys me, is me. Hate and glare at me all you want. I could really care less.

"…Get out." I could barely hear Mikogami's voice as it was much more silent compared to how it was before.

"Yes, yes. I'm going, I'm going. I still expect those favors though and we will only be allies for a short time. After all…"

I made my way toward the exit of the room and put my hands in my pocket.

"I'm nothing but a villain in everyone's eyes." I spoke these words low enough so no one could hear and yawned. Back to the train to take a nap.

Well that wraps up everything here. Abnormal sekirei taken care of and now I am going to get new weapons from the MBI. Plus Mikogami probably will not go out for a while due to what happened…

Mikogami will not go out for a while…

Which means he will not go after un-winged sekirei for a while…

…

I need to make a phone call. It annoys me how these things happen when I am not even aware of it.

* * *

Ground being disturbed could be heard as I stood and looked down on the ground, tilting my head at what I saw.

"That looks like a person who is beating someone with a stick."

"…" More sounds of ground being disturbed could be heard.

"That looks like the stick has somehow evolved and is beating everyone with a stick."

"…" The sound is more frantic this time.

"That looks like everyone has risen against the evolved stick and are beating it with sticks."

"Fugghh" A frustrated and irritated voice could be heard as the ground was rearranged with more force than the previous times.

"That looks like the world is invaded by aliens all carrying sticks and is beating down everything with it. Ah. War of the sticks. And now even the dogs are getting in on it, beating their masters with sticks."

"Fuuuuuuggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh" The ground was harshly moved by an angry girl as I continued to identify her drawings. This time, I could see her digging deeply and more carefully to make sure that her drawings would not be misunderstood by me standing behind her. The girl looked up at me after she finished with an irritated expression, waiting for my words.

"…This… this… do you realize what you made?"

The girl tilted her head with curiosity at my words.

"This is no ordinary drawing. This is a masterpiece. This a drawing no other artist could have made. You should be proud of yourself."

The blonde-haired girl's eyes widened and she smiled at the praise she is receiving from her hard work.

"This is astounding. It is simply amazing. This is… no wait it's a piece of crap."

I received a bite on my leg by Kusano for my judging skills. What is it with kids these days? The MBI should really touch up on their educational skills. It definitely needs some work.

_**6 Days until Ground Zero**_

* * *

"This is all that stupid dog's fault. Why is it always her fault? Natsuo was supposed to be mine. He is supposed to pay attention to me. Now he isn't even look at me and every time I try to talk to him, he just says that he's busy. This pisses me off! This really pisses me off!"

After what happened at the mansion, I met up with Karasuba again after she chased after the abnormal sekirei. However, she received orders from Minaka not to capture her, saying it would be fun for her to be in the game and that it would be a shame if the MBI takes her out of it. This is a problem as she will most likely come after me since I technically caused her ashikabi to hate her. Sekirei really value their ashikabi and to lose the trust of one is almost like being disowned by the person you like and took care of you.

"Why isn't he noticing me? I am not going to listen to that Goth girl's talk about Natsuo being gay. There is no way that he is gay. If he is, I will just make sure he sees the light and pay attention only to me while I take out both the Goth girl and the dog. Then Natsuo will be all mine! His handsome and cool body all mine!"

I successfully managed to convince Karasuba not to wing me on the spot as soon as I met her which was extremely difficult. She was breathing really hard and her face was red when she saw me. She almost attempted to jump me right there. When she left though, she did not simply waved and said goodbye, promising to meet me again.

"After I have Natsuo, he will love me more than anyone else. He will only love me. Who cares about that ugly dog and that scatterbrain Goth girl? I am more beautiful than anyone else in Natsuo's eyes. Even though I have small breasts, it will be enough to please Natsuo's heart. No one will ever be able to beat me, no one!"

_I am not the only dog of the MBI. You should really be careful Zike. Even I cannot take her down._

Those were Karasuba's last words before she left. Those words set me on edge. What she is basically saying is that there is a sekirei working for the MBI who even Karasuba cannot kill. That means he/she is either equal in power or more powerful than the black sekirei. If this is true, why isn't he/she in the disciplinary squad? Why is this person's identity like a secret? How is she almost as powerful as Karasuba? If she is that powerful, can she rival #1 herself?

"Natsuo wait for me. I will come for you to open your heart which no one but me will ever do!"

And most of all, what-

"I will take down that ugly dog and stupid goth girl for you so you will only see my beautiful self."

And most-

"I will open your eyes and we live happily ever after like a true couple."

And-

"I will kill everyone in this game to make sure you are mine and only mine."

A-

"Natsuo-samaaaaaaaaaaaaa-"

"Oh my God, shut up! You sound like a kid who just got high on drugs. Just shut up!"

I am apathetic most of the time but even I have my limits for how much I can take. The fact that she is annoying enough to cause me not to think correctly is a problem. Who cares for Natsuo? Just go scream how much of a yandere are for him somewhere else and not bother the people around you!

My annoyed twitching eyes looked at the pink-haired girl with a side ponytail with two daisy clips. She wore a black kimono-like shirt, white sekirei symbols below her left and right shoulders, with a red ribbon wrapped around her waist. She wore red gloves and red boots that did was a few inches below her kneecap. I did not care that she looked at me with rage at the moment. I just wanted to eat my ice cream in peace.

We are currently in a park, not the same one I was attacked in, and there was almost no one but ourselves in it due to Benitsuaba's crazy talk most likely. I was sitting on a bench eating my ice cream in such a nice day after I completed an assignment from Higa and then this girl just walks up, sits on the bench next to me, and starts to ramble on about this Natsuo.

The heck's a Natsuo? A freaking hot dog or something? Is she really freaking out over a hot dog? Scream about the hot dog somewhere else!

"Who the hell are you to tell me to shut up?!" The girl glared at me angrily looking ready to punch me. Like I give a crap about how she is feeling right now.

"The person who has become very annoyed by your stupid ramblings for the last ten minutes."

"Then go somewhere else instead of telling me to shut up!"

"Why should I go somewhere else when I feel perfectly fine where I am now? If I go somewhere else, it will not be as comfortable and not annoying as this spot right here."

"Well if you want to sit here, then don't tell other people to shut up while they are dreaming about their boyfriends!"

"Boyfriend? From how you were talking it sounds like he doesn't even notice you, you freaking washboard girl."

"Whhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttttttttttttt!"

"Just face it. You are just a- wait, wait, wait, wait, wait." I held my hand and used the other to pinch my nose. Got a little angry there. I really need to calm down with situations like these no matter how annoying they might be. Acting on emotions is annoying and will only cause me great pain. "Let's just calm down for a moment."

"Why should I calm down when you just called me a washboard you twerp!"

"…"

"If anything I should beat you up and make sure-" She didn't get to finish as I held strawberry ice cream in a cone in front of her face, causing her to move back a little and look a bit confused.

"Strawberry ice cream. I bought an extra for myself but you can have it. You seem like the type to like strawberries." You never know what might happen to your ice cream. Always carry a spare at all times. I learned from experience.

She looked back and forth between me and the ice cream before she closed her eyes and snatched the ice cream out of my hand. She then sat down and started to lick the ice cream in silence. After she sat down I sat back down with her and started to lick my own ice cream again, leaning back and staring at the sky.

"…It's good. But don't think I am going to thank you for the ice cream." After a while, she spoke up while looking away and not meeting my face.

"I wasn't expecting it. I usually don't get thanked for anything these days. I'm used to it." I didn't look at her and continued to look up at the sky, licking my ice cream.

"Maybe it's because you are an annoying twerp."

"Maybe it is. Doesn't really matter at this point. So what's this Natsuo hotdog you were talking about? Is it some trending type of food?"

"He is not a food! How did what I said sound like he is food!" She looked at me in annoyance and waved one of her arms a bit but she managed to not spill her ice cream. "He is a handsome, cool awesome guy. Much better than you could ever be."

"…Oh so your one of those types."

The pink-haired girl narrowed her eyes at my sentence, looking like she would get angry at any second. "What do you mean by 'one of those types'?"

"Let's do this. Answer my three questions about this Natsuo guy and then I will give you an honest answer from an observing perspective which will tell you if he loves you or not or if you really love him." I turned my head a bit to look at her and found the pony-tailed girl staring at me with a raised eyebrow.

"And why should I do that?"

"Because you obviously can't tell unless someone tells it to your face." She was about to speak before I raised my hand to stop. "What I mean is that you can't see the truth since all you are thinking about the guy but not about the facts. That kind of mindset will not only be a bother to everyone else but also the guy you are interested in. Do you really want to be a hindrance to the guy you like?"

The girl stared at me before she bit her lip and looked away. "I am not a bother to anyone. You're wrong."

"That is basically the same thing as a criminal saying he has done nothing wrong even though he was caught on camera stealing something. Face it, you can't tell by yourself what the truth really is."

"…Grr. Fine. Fine." The girl raised her arms up in the air before she folded them, still managing to keep her ice cream intact before she looked me in the eyes. "Ask your stupid questions."

"Okay. First question. Why are you so ugly- no wait that was a test to see if you were prepared and you passed." I raised my hand in a surrendering gesture and quickly changed my words as the girl made a fist, planning to punch me in the face. "First question. Has this Natsuo guy ever called you by your name?"

"Of course he has. He does it all the-"

"No don't just say whatever you want so soon. Think about it."

The kimono-wearing girl settled back down and put on a thoughtful expression. Ten seconds passed, then twenty, then a minute, then two before the girl started getting frustrated and biting her fingernail. "… Well other than the first time we met, no."

I nodded which looked kind of weird from my laid back position. "Second question. Has he shown interest in you or even spent time with you since you first met him? Like shopping for example."

"He always spe-"

I glared at her before she could continue and she stopped talking, once again putting on a thoughtful expression. "Other than work, he hasn't spent any time with me." Her face was getting annoyed and she started to tap her finger in her folded arm position.

"Third question and final question. This is the most important one." She turned her head and stared at me with a serious expression due to the tone of my voice. "…What is Natsuo's last name?"

She opened her mouth to answer but words would not come out of her mouth. The girl widened her eyes and bit her lip as she stared at the ground. "I don't even know his last name! How could I not know his last name?! How cou- ow!" The girl recoiled as I flicked her in the forehead due to her getting off track.

"Don't get distracted." The pink-haired girl looked at me with annoyance and rubbed her forehead. "At the moment, it is pretty easy to tell that he is not interested in you at all, only respecting and being nice to you like he treats everyone else but not really caring about you. While it is possible that you could get his attention after time, do you really have the endurance to wait that long?"

"What do you mean?" The young teenager tilted her head in curiosity.

"For example, say you want to eat ice cream every day." I lifted my ice cream cone a bit to show my point. "What would happen if you eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every single day?"

"You would throw up and get tired by it."

I nodded. "Yes. That is correct. The reason you eat the ice cream is because it's good, but eventually over time, you get sick of it. Now what would happen if you wanted to eat ice cream that tasted horrible but, given time and if you eat it every day, it will be the best tasting ice cream the world will ever know?"

"It depends on how long it will take."

"Exactly. So what if it takes days, months, or even years before it becomes the ice cream you always wanted? Which would you rather have? The normal tasting ice cream that is good at first or the best tasting ice cream in the world?"

The girl closed her eyes in thought before she made a fist and slammed it onto her palm. "I would take the best tasting ice cream in the world."

"But over time, it would be no different from the regular ice cream."

"?"

"Like with the regular ice cream, if you taste it every single day, you would eventually get sick and tired of it."

"Then I would just eat it every now and then."

"So you would waste more time and eat the best ice cream in the world every now and then after eating crap for the a long time? Then why don't you do it with the regular ice cream to save yourself the trouble. Also, will people just let you have the ice cream for yourself? After all, it is the best tasting ice cream in the world. If you eat the regular ice cream that everyone has, nobody will bother with it since it is nothing special. If it is the special ice cream, anything can happen to it and people will always try to get their hands on it or make sure you do not have the ice cream for yourself."

"…"

"That is basically how your situation with Natsuo is like. It is the horrible tasting ice cream type. You are getting no affection from him and you do not really know how long it will take. It may take months or years even. And another thing, do you truly feel something for him, like you feel like he is the one?"

The placed her hand on her heart and she bit her lip as her hair covered her face.

"Although if it was apple pie on the other hand, I had to go through the horrible pie route." I didn't notice the girl next to me looking at me with a dumbfounded expression. "Days after days of horrible tasting pie and then what do I get? Amazing pie that I only tasted once in my life. Only once. Then I never had the pie again and had to wait for it to be within my grasp again, only to slip farther away every single day. It is practically mocking me, that diabolical bread crusted thing. Why does it do this to me? Why does it-"

I stopped myself as I felt a finger on my forehead.

"Eh?"

The finger flicked and I was thrown off the bench, rolling on the grass in the process. By the time I stopped, I was a few meters away from it and I ignored the aching pain in my forehead. It's a miracle that it is not bleeding right now. As a shadow loomed over me, I turned my head to the source and found the pink-haired girl looking down on me, a grin spread across her mischievous face with a tongue sticking out. She crouched down and lightly tapped her knuckle on my forehead.

"Don't get distracted."

"…" I looked away, getting annoyed as the girl started to giggle at my predicament.

Annoying girl.

* * *

"Why are we going to the store to look for ingredients to cook instead of making personal chefs to do it for us?"

"Because nobody wants a lazy girl following them around who doesn't even know how to cook. That's called being spoiled. I bet you imagined cooking for the guy yet you didn't even start cooking since you were born."

"That's what personal chefs are for."

"That is called being lazy. You are not always going to have a personal chef at your beck and call."

The pink-haired girl followed me by my side through the market district of Shinto Teito, her arms behind her head as she looked around the different shops as if looking at a new world. At this time it was almost the afternoon. How did I get here exactly? Well, it somehow started when cooking was brought up, then we argued, then when she realized that I knew how to cook while she did not, the girl literally dragged me to this place to get me to teach her how to cook. And now she is complaining even though she is the one that wanted to do this.

It is times like these where being apathetic sometimes is helpful. Though it still doesn't change the fact that it is still annoying.

"So what are we cooking?" Benitsubasa stopped looking around and turned her eyes toward me.

"Curry."

"Ha? Why are we cooking something so stupid?"

"Because if you cannot even cook even the most basic dishes, your cooking will possibly kill someone. I almost died from those two cooking before. Dark times those were." The pink-haired girl raised an eyebrow as I shivered from the dark memories. How someone could create life from just bread and turkey is beyond me. That dang monster was hard to put down.

Annoying killer sandwich.

"Anyway" I shook myself to focus on the task at hand. "We need to start with the basic stuff before you do anything fancy or elaborate." I stopped walking and the kimono-wearing girl stopped with me, wondering why I was standing still.

"Ah. I don't think I asked for your name."

The girl blinked at my question. "It's Benitsubasa." Why does that name sound so familiar? Whatever. I nodded and started to walk again before a hand strongly gripped my shoulder. I turned my head back to find the annoyed expression of Benitsubasa with her eye twitching. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"…Oh yeah… what is your last name?"

"That is not what I me-" Before she outburst more on the street to cause a scene, she paused and took a deep breath to calm herself. Progress. She looked me in the eyes and put her hands on her hips. "I don't have a last name. Now what is your name?"

"Zike," After that I turned my head back to continue walking only for a hand to once again grip my shoulder. I looked back again to see Benitsubasa's eyes narrowed.

"Last name?"

"Don't have one."

"Ha? Why don't you have one? There is no way you don't have a last na-"

"Then why don't you have one?" I spoke coldly, which caused her to recoil a bit. Realizing what I done, I sighed and scratched my head. "I do not exactly have a normal past."

Benitsubasa, staring at me, sighed and walked forward before taking my hand and making me follow her. "…Neither do I" She mumbled that part and I almost didn't hear it. She shook her head before looking back at me. "So what are we looking for?"

"We are looking for a counselor to help you with yo- ow, ow. Hand breaking, hand breaking." The pink-haired girl squeezed my hand enough to cause bones to creak as she realized I was insulting her. "Well the first thing we should look for is rice." The girl nodded and looked for a store that could sell it.

"Ah there it is!" Benitsubasa dragged me over and lifted a bag with one hand.

"…That's sugar."

"Really? It looks like rice to me." The girl tilted her head curiously at the bag. She looked around and picked up another bag.

"…That's corn."

"Eh? It looks like rice to me." She narrowed her eyes at the vegetable, refusing to believe that it was not rice.

"…This may be a bit harder than I thought." I sighed and shook my head. This girl is bad but not as bad as those two from before. They were on another world of terrible.

"Oi! You two lovebirds!" Both of our heads turned to the loud obnoxious voice behind us. What we saw were a gang of delinquents, about ten in total. Some were fat while some were well-built. The one who spoke up was supposedly the leader, his hair in a Mohawk with no shirt on and a black jacket. Most of the other delinquents were similarly dressed. "We have some business with both of you!"

""…Who are you calling lovebirds?"" Both of us spoke at the same time with a hint of hostility in our voices. Some of the boys backed away a bit but some of them stood their ground, including the leader of the group.

"I'm calling you two lovebirds since your holding hands!" We both looked down and found that, yes, we are holding hands. We quickly pulled our hands away as if it was diseased, my face looking annoyed, and Benitsuaba's face looking red and irritated. "Now why don't we go out back and catch up on some things huh?" The delinquent pointed toward a dark alley where no one would pass by.

The pink-haired girl and I looked at him with a deadpan expression as we looked at each other than back to him. ""…Okay"" We then started to walk toward the alley, confusing the delinquents and also some people passing by.

"Oh, um, good!" The delinquents followed us without worry.

After a moment, Benitsubasa and I stood at the farthest end, a wall blocking our path while the delinquents blocked the only way out, trying to look threatening all the while. The pink-haired girl put a hand on her hip and looked at the delinquents in an arrogant manner. "So what is this 'business' you speak of?" She likely knew the answer but asked regardless.

"We want your money!" A fat one spoke up looking like a roly-poly.

"We want your body pinky!" This time it was a walking stick that spok- no wait that's another delinquent.

"You heard them." And finally the Mohawk jabberwocky spoke u- I mean delinquent leader. "So what are you going to do?"

""…"" Both of us stood there silently.

Then we yawned, causing the delinquents to get angry at our reactions to our situation.

"Where do I begin? There are so many places to start." I tapped a finger on my chin and all eyes turned on me. I then started to point at the delinquents one by one. "You look like a pig, you look like crap, you look like big crap, I don't know what the heck you ar- no wait your mega crap, you look like you would pass out after running for a second fatty, you look like a person who came from the African rainforest tarzan, you look like a beaver, you look like a mutated walrus, you look like a disfigured dolphin and you," I ended with the leader, all of the delinquents looking at me with rage, "You look like a kitten. A horrible, sad excuse for a kitten."

"Your dead meat you bastard!"

"Zero points for originality. Don't worry, I am sure you can get your diploma for stupidity in about… five seconds."

"You!"

"It hasn't even been five and you're already showing signs of an honor student. I didn't even think that was possible."

The leader of the group charged at me and raised his fist, ready to punch me in the face. This type of stuff was easy. Taking down gangs is like walking through the park… unless it's a gang of aliens, mutants, or super humans. If it's one of those three, then we have a problem. So let's see. Grab fist, counter then move on to the next one. No, too much work. Probably break the arm of the first to let the fear settle in so this can be done quickly.

"…Eh?"

"?"

Both the delinquent leader and I raised an eyebrow as Benitsubasa stood in front of me, holding the man's fist as without any effort. The girl yawned before looking at the guy intending to punch me with a bored expression.

"…You hit like a kitten" She smirked in a mischievous way, pissing off the kitten.

"Why you little-" He didn't even get to finish his sentence before he was sent flying upward with a palm thrust to the chin, causing blood and teeth to fly out due to the force of it. The pink-haired girl cracked her neck and knuckles as she looked at the other delinquents who were now cowering in fear.

"Normally I would ignore stuff like this. However, I feel stressed out from the idiot behind me and I feel like relieving it through pummeling all of you." The kimono-wearing girl grinned savagely as she smashed her knuckles together.

"…I think she is talking about you. Why do you have to be such an idiot?" I lightly kicked the guy who Benitsubasa took out, unconscious due to the pain. Unfortunately, pinky realized this and she turned her head toward me, veins appearing on her face, pointing at me.

"I mean you not him!"

I blinked and looked behind me. I tilted my head as I pointed my thumb at the dead end. "But that's a wall. Now your getting pissed of at walls now?"

"Yooooooouuuuuuuuuuu-"

"Take this you washboard breasted girl!" The piggy jumping Benitsubasa didn't stand a chance. He leapt toward her, somehow finding a stick and in the middle of his leap, his face was grabbed and smashed into a wall, causing some bricks to fall out and blood to smear on it a bit.

I should feel disturbed that she was staring at me the whole time. I really should.

"What the hell is she?" One of the delinquents fell on his back as he tried to back away with the others when Benitsubasa started walking toward them.

The girl smirked as she looked down the fear-stricken boy. "Your worst nightmare."

I couldn't help but call out to her as soon as she said those words. "That was so corny."

And like a bull seeing red, the pink-haired girl started to savagely pummel through the delinquents in order to quell her rage. It would take about ten seconds for her to fi- hey look a butterfly. Oh you should go away butterfly so you don't see the carnage and it's already over.

Benitsubasa stood among a pile of broken and bloody bodies. For the one's who did not have their teeth or faces smashed had their legs or arms broken, withering in pain on the ground. Blood could be found on the ground and walls of the alleyway. "Tch. Too weak." The pink-haired girl relaxed from her fighting positon and put a hand on her hip. "All bark and no bite."

Unfortunately, she wasn't paying attention to one of the guys on the ground and he grabbed her leg, making contact with her skin. "You bit- Gaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

He didn't get to finish is insult before the hand grabbing the fighter's leg was smashed by her foot. I heard a crack as she then stomped her foot on his chest. She definitely broke a few of his ribs. "There is only one person allowed to touch me, and it is definitely not you." With a cold and cruel voice, she added pressure to her foot causing the delinquent to scream more.

"…Touch." I couldn't help but touch her on the shoulder as soon as she said that. Annoying suicidal tendencies. Always happen at the worst times. The pink-haired girl whipped her head around toward me, her face looking ready to fight more. However when she looked at me, it shifted to annoyance and she grabbed my hand to drag me out of the alleyway.

I raised an eyebrow at her actions. "Ho? So I'm the only person that can touch you?" At my words, Benitsubasa stopped and I was wondering if she would punch me right then and there.

Instead, she turned her head towards me and tilted her head, smiling the whole time. "You don't count as a person. You are more like an insect to me." She said this so innocently that my eye twitched as I stared at her, extremely annoyed.

"You are annoying. You are really annoying me right now."

"I know~" The girl chirped and continued to drag me, taking us back to the market district to resume our previous task. After a few minutes of walking around, she slowed down, causing me to wonder what is wrong with her. "Hey… aren't you scared?"

"?"

The girl stopped completely and I could not see her expression due to her hair casting shadows on her face. Benitsubasa's face then turned toward me, her expression blank and unreadable. "Aren't you scared that I beat up those guys? Aren't you scared that I'm a cruel person."

I stared at her with my usual lazy and emotionless expression. I then raised my hand and karate chopped the pink-haired girl's head, causing her wince at the contact.

"I could really care less Benitsubasa. I really could. Now come on. I need you to discover what rice looks like." The girl maintained her blank expression before she pouted and sighed. She once again started to drag me as if I'm some dog.

"I know what rice looks like you idiot. I was just testing you to see if you really knew what you were doing"

"What you just said is complete bull. Are you one of those bull's from Spain with a short temper?"

"Do you want me to beat you up too?"

_*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*_

Before Benitsubasa could follow up on her threat, her phone rung. Looking irritated, she grabbed her phone and looked at the screen. Her eyes narrowed once she saw what was on it and let go of my hand as she started to walk away. "I have a job to do."

"…Okay." I started to walk away. Well that is one less annoying thing to worry ab-

I didn't get to move far before I hand gripped my shoulder again, causing me to stop. Dang it. I thought I was done with this crap. I turned my head and she scratched her cheek a bit with her hand not currently gripping my shoulder. "Hey… what's your phone number?"

"I don't have a phone."

"How do you not have a phone?"

Flashes of my phone breaking either through the fights I went through or me just throwing it due to being annoyed went through my mind. "…It's complicated."

"Then how am I supposed to meet you again?" I just shrugged at her answer and her face shifted to irritation before she started scratching her head in frustration. What is it with girls these days?

"Fine then just… wait here. My job shouldn't take too long."

"Nah I don't reall-"

"I work for a company that can find you in seconds so if you try to go away, I'll find you and beat me up. You already caused me enough trouble."

"What am I a dog now? Do you really think I'm a dog now?"

"Yep~! Make sure to bark when I get back." Grinning and sticking her tongue out, she started to walk away to who knows where.

Now what to do…

…

My instincts are telling me not to move but I feel like moving right now.

* * *

It was dark and cold, all the stores were closed at this point. There would be a passerby every now and then but I was mostly alone. How many hours has it been? Four? Five? Maybe six. The sun has already set at this point, the street lights illuminating the way for people heading home. It is pouring really hard right now, hard enough for me to get drenched after a few seconds. Beside me were the ingredients for the curry, safely enclosed in containers within plastic bags.

"…"

Now that I think about it, I never really done this kind of thing before. Waiting for someone to show up to do something annoying that is. Sure I have waited for targets to appear so I could shoot them with a sniper rifle or waited for clients to give me my assignments but this is the first time I have done something like a waiting for a girl to teach her how to cook.

It's annoying. I can't even leave since the girl threatened to beat me up if I do so. Getting chased by a super-powered girl is annoying and will no doubt cause me pain. What is even more annoying is that Benitsubasa probably got sidetracked flirting with this Natsuo guy and has completely forgotten about me. It was very likely considering how much she spoke of him at the park before. How annoying.

…

_*Growl*_

… And now I'm hungry. I can't even get something to eat since all the stores are closed. Annoying washboard girl.

…

When boys usually wait for a girl, they usually get excited don't they? After all, a few of the people we passed while Benitsubasa and I walked through the district stared at her for a long while. What is even more confusing is that some boys smiled while they were holding hands with a girl? I really don't understand this crap. Usually when a girl attempts to touch me, she is either planning to cause me pain or kill me or both. Plus, some of the boys blushed when they were close to a girl…

Now that I think about, Uzume said that I blushed before during the night I was attacked. Probably just the blood rushing to my head from the annoying things that happened in the night. After all, all she just said is 'I love you'. It must have been the sekirei bonding thing affecting me. After all, one person saying 'I love you' is just a lie.

The same person that said 'I love you' stabs you in the back later on. The person that said 'I love you' killed all of your friends. The person that said 'I love you' makes your life miserable and unbearable. I have seen it all the time. It happens so much that it is weird if it doesn't happen later on. 'I love you' really means 'I'm lying' to me.

"_Birds that teach love. The rumored name of the Sekirei. People are said to become stronger by loving and being loved. Once again the same as Sekirei. They are little birds who will one day spread their wings and show love to the world__."_

What you say may apply to others but not me. After all, none of the people I met know of the dark secrets I carry, not even the original disciplinary squad. None of the people except for the person who gave Yomi her powers and since she basically hated and tried to kill me, it will most likely be the same for everyone else. If it is revealed, then everyone I have met will be turned against me. Not the first time that it happened. Of course, I just have to make sure it doesn't get let out. I looked up at the clouded sky, ignoring the raindrops pouring on my face.

"… _You do realize it yourself right? You will never be able to fulfill that promise…Is that a promise you are trying to fulfil or a curse you are trying to break? It is hard to tell the difference between the two."_

I clicked my tongue in annoyance. How can I never give up if I do not even know the first step to completing that promise? How annoying.

My thoughts were interrupted as I no longer felt rain pouring on top of my head and instead found myself looking at a red umbrella. Looking down, my bored met surprised ones, staring at Benitsubasa looking shocked for some reason. On closer inspection, I noticed that she looked out of breath, as if she ran without stopping.

"*Sigh* you forgot didn't you?"

The pink-haired girl's face then shifted to an irritated expression as she glared at me with a twitching eye. "I thought you would leave as soon as I was gone. Yet, here you are standing out in the cold. You are such an idiot."

"Ho? Then why are you out of breath right now? Did you run as fast as you could when you forgot you left someone out in the-"

"Sh-shut up." The girl turned away from me and folded her arms but she still kept the umbrella up, shielding us from the rain. "I just felt like jogging alright. It would take too much time if I just walked the entire way." Every now and then she glance at me only to look away again. I just sighed and picked up the bags filled with ingredients. Benitsubasa followed me as I started to walk.

"So what took you so long?"

"After I finished be- completing an assignment, I was called back to where I work to talk about some… stuff."

"Stuff?"

"Stuff."

"…You're not going to tell me are you?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because you made me wait in the cold rain, causing me to get hungry, wet, and possibly catch a-" I sneezed before I could finish my sentence. "Cold. You don't have to tell me everything."

"… We were talking about who was going to be our partner."

"?"

"The place that I work at makes us work with the same partner but we all have to agree on someone."

"I see. Then I presume you wanted to work with this Natsuo guy?"

"Nope."

"Nope?"

"Nope."

"…Who are you and what have you done with Benitsubasa?"

"Do you want me to smash your face in like I did with those other guys?"

"Nah I'm good. So what made you have a change of heart?"

"I thought about it and asked him questions. I can't believe I wasted so much time on him."

"Why do you say that?"

"First of all, I found out that he is only talks to me because being flat-chested makes me look like a girl because he's gay. Second, I found out that he is obsessed over destroying the world since his previous lover died. Third, all that he has is a handsome face and cool personality but he is too boring."

"Ah so my words have worked. In short time too. So what did you guys end up deciding in the end?"

"We all decided to postpone it but we don't really have that much time left." The girl started to scratch her head irritably. "That ugly dog managed to find a partner but he hasn't really accepted it yet. I don't even know who it is."

"So I'm assuming if this ugly dog manages to convince this partner to accept, you all have to work with him whether you like it or not?"

"Exactly! It is so frustrating! For all I know he could be some ugly, thug or some weird pervert!"

"Then why don't you find a partner before she does so you would not have to end up with some ugly, thug, or some weird pervert?"

"It's not that easy finding one! It's like a one in a million chance!"

"Surely it's not that hard. You look out of breath even though we have been walking the entire time by the way."

The pink-haired girl simply lazily waved off my comment. "But like I said, it's not that easy finding one! Don't you have any advice for this stuff?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"You seem like the type that has the answers."

"Well unfortunately I am not good at stuff like this so you're out of luck. What I will say is don't judge a book by its cover."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hey, those bags look like their drenched."

"The ingredients most likely got wet so I can't teach you how to cook today. Maybe another time."

"…Sorry."

"?"

The girl scratched her cheek, pouting and looking guilty at the same time. "Sorry for making you stand out in the rain the entire time… eh?" Benitsubasa looked at me with wide eyes as I put my hand on her head.

"Don't worry about it… after all, you came back like the dog you are. Now all I need to do is figure out how to get you to sit. You already know follow and beg."

"…"

"Maybe I should teach you how to roll over and play dead while I'm at it too. Those are some good tricks for you to learn."

"…"

"Of course I should feed you a biscuit and bone every time you complete something. Like coming back to me. Want a biscuit Benitsubasa? Huh? Huh? Want a biscuit?"

"… Hey Zike."

"Yes puppy Benitsubasa."

"You sound way off track from what you were talking about before."

"I don't see how-"

"It's almost like you're distracted."

"…"

"Why you are so distracted right now that I don't think even a finger flicking will get you out of your sorry state. I think a beat down is much more effective."

"…"

"A very, very thorough beat do- Hey! Get back here!"

"And get punched to death by you? No thanks. I feel perfectly fine where my teeth and bones are now and do not feel like having them rearranged by you!"

"Don't be like that, it will only be light taps!"

"Taps being similar to being hit by a car! I have no intention of receiving your taps! Tap someone else!"

"But you are the one I want to tap! Don't worry! It will only be a couple thousand or so!"

"That doesn't really reassure me! What also doesn't reassure me is the fact that you are smirking with your tongue sticking out, ready to beat someone to death and are you getting faster?!"

"Punch number one of infinity coming right up~!"

"You definitely said punch! I definitely heard you say punch right now! And don't just say that in a sing song voice!"

Somehow, I managed to escape the crazy girl without being punched once. It was very tricky since she was a lot faster than me but I used the civilians and surroundings to my advantage. Later on, I will bang my head in annoyance since, without me realizing, I was talking to one of the disciplinary squad members of the sekirei plan, #105 Benitsubasa. Not only do I have to avoid Karasuba now but Benitsubasa too?

Annoying sekirei.


	9. Present: Act 2-4

"I really don't see why I have to do this. I have other things to do."

"_Well unless you don't want new weapons, I suggest you get rid of that attitude. And don't get me one of those crappy ones! I want the ones with action!"_

"Then get them yourself."

"_I can't."_

"And that's because?"

"_Takami."_

"…A valid point."

"_Exactly."_

"Why can't you get one of the people under your command to do something this stupid?"

"_It's because it's stupid that I am making you do it. And technically you are under my command."_

"Tyrant."

"_So I've been told. Now if you are done complaining get me the package."_

"You mean crappy manga?"

"_Package sounds much more suitable for this operation."_

"Stop using words to hide the fact that all I'm doing is getting some books."

"_You are infiltrating a highly secured base-"_

"A college. I'm going into a college."

"_And sneaking in-"_

"Walking."

"_And stealing-"_

"Asking."

"_The package from the enemy base."_

"A.k.a., the crappy manga."

"_Oh come on. Why can't you play along? It's boring if you just explain it like that. You need to make it more interesting."_

"Your definition of interesting is making a battle royale between sekirei, basically killing their own kind, and humans making eternal contracts with them by kissing."

"…_And?"_

"The mind of a madman at its finest."

"_You do know which ones to get right?"_

"I do, so hurry up and stop wasting my time. We both have work to do."

"_Yes. Yes we do. Our work will always serve a purpose in the future. We cannot afford to- Oh no. Sakutaru NOOOOO!"_

"…Are you reading a manga? Aren't you supposed to doing stuff that deals with the city? You just bought it a few days ago so there must be tons of paperwork for you to deal with."

"…_I am reading a highly classified document"_

"Everyone here is going to die since you bought the city Minaka. I'll give it a week before starvation kicks in."

"_Highly. Classified. Docu- chim chim? Chim Chim!? NO CHIM CHIM NOOOO-"_

I hung up before the president of the MBI could scream again in my ear. Putting the phone back in its place, and walked away from the wall of telephones toward Tokyo University.

A mercenary who is no different from a delivery boy. Has my position fallen so much after all these years?

After escaping the clutches of Benitsubasa, that savage gorilla, I decided to explore the city of Shinto Teito to see if anything has changed these past few years. Apparently, the only thing that is different is that the MBI now has complete control over the city which is not really surprising because of the sekirei plan. It was the same city as usual except someone else was running it.

It was well in the afternoon at this point. It was a nice day as there were barely any few clouds in the sky. It was sort of chilly so I zipped up my white jacket to fight against the cold. Making my way up the stairs, I continued to walk the route that would take me to Tokyo University the fastest. It will not take that long by foot, only ten minutes at best. I could have went home and gotten my motorcycle but that would have caused both Uzume and Akitsu to follow me around on this task. I really did not feel like dealing with Uzume's usual antics and Akitsu's desire to be close to me.

Plus, I doubt they would be happy with the things I have been doing ever since my encounter with the Ashikabi of the South. Dealing with that would have been annoying. But it may be unavoidable due to what is happening in a few days. Like it or not, I am going to have to take them with me to get #108.

I know for a fact that Higa will order me to acquire her as soon as he gets the text. While it would have been less annoying for me to get her before the text even arrived, it's impossible. The botanical gardens are covered with thick roots and vines making it very hard to cross. I tried doing it myself and all I did was gain about five feet and a lot of scratches. The MBI is currently cutting some of them down so by the time the text comes, it will be ready for other ashikabi to cross it.

Annoying president of a company telling me something and knowing I can't do anything about it. Annoying green girl for causing me to get annoyed in the first place.

My thoughts were interrupted when I felt myself bump into someone. While I kept my balance, the person I bumped into stumbled and almost fell off his feet, making it easy to tell that the person is very weak. I watched him regain his balance and look at me with eyes filled with surprise. The young man has shaggy black hair and grey eyes that told people that he is rather shy. He wore a brown jacket with a light brown color inside of it and blue jeans. His back is covered by a red backpack identifying him as a student along with white and black sneakers.

The student continued to stare at me and then blinked once. I raised an eyebrow when he bowed towards me with his eyes clenched shut.

"Ah. I'm Sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

"…" I did not answer and looked at the ground, finding a phone that no doubt belongs to the student. I picked it up and tapped it on his head, causing him to flinch on the contact. He looked at me with wide eyes while I just stared at him with a bored expression.

"I wasn't either." I still held out the phone towards him and the young man looked back and forth between me and the phone before realizing it was his, taking it cautiously from my hand.

"Ah. Thank you. I'm sorry for bumping into you." The student started to awkwardly scratch the back of his head while I just rolled my eyes and started to make my way toward another flight of steps to reach my destination.

"Its fine, and you already said sorry you neet."

"AH! How did you know I was a two year neet?!" The man flinched in a way that made it look like I hit him. I didn't even do anything.

I paused in my walk and just stared at him with a deadpan expression. "I didn't say that as if I knew you were a neet. But seriously, two years?"

The neet refused to meet my eyes and started to scratch his cheek in embarrassment. "I failed the entrance exams to the same university twice."

"Then just go to another college if it is that hard to get into it."

"I could do that but I do not know what other college to go to. I only came to this city and tried to get into the university because I was attracted to the city life."

"…In other words you're a hobo who decided to move into the city. Yeah, great decision." I gave him a thumbs up but it may face betrayed the encouragement I gave him.

"I'm not a hobo, I'm a neet!"

"I don't see the difference."

"I have a home!"

"Not for long you're not assuming you don't have a job."

Seeing as how the young man deflated after my jab, he did not have a job. Not caring about his situation, I went down the steps, glancing back and noticing that the young student was following me.

"Stop following me you stalker."

"I'm not stalking. I take this way to get back home."

"Hobos have a home? They must be evolving."

"I'm not a hobo! *Sigh* it would be nice to have a girlfriend."

"And you're telling me about your problems. You are a true hobo. You can't get into a college but I'm sure you can get that hobo certificate you always wanted. Reach for the stars and aim for that doctorate decree."

The young man started to get depressed with each word that I spoke from my mouth. "You're so cruel. You don't even know what it's like to have a girlfriend."

"…I'm not even going to answer that in consideration for my sanity."

"What the hell does that mean!?"

"It means you can't just wish for a girlfriend. It's not like a girl is just going to fall from the sky."

"Not likely? More like impossible."

"Yeah completel- crap we just jinxed ourselves."

"Eh?"

Our conversation was interrupted when the ground trembled. It was not a large one but big enough to get our attention. I looked around for the source of it. No it wasn't Mutsu. Is there a sekirei battle going on right now? But where is it? I don't see any battles nearby.

"Get out of the way, please!"

That voice! The fight must be very close by since the voice is somehow getting louder. But where is it coming from? In that alley. On the rooftops. Inside that dog. No that's just stupid… it's probably inside that fat woman.

"Eh?!" Minato also started to look around and was just as confused as I was.

"Please move from there!"

I palmed my face. I can sense aura. Sometimes I can be so stupid. Now where is it coming from… ah there it is. Just a few feet above me and rapidly approaching…

…ah…cra-

I didn't even get to finish my thought before something slammed into my back, causing me to crash onto the ground. I could literally feel the bones in my back creaking due to the force of the impact of whatever hit me. It was a good thing I am durable enough to- no wait I feel broken ribs.

When I tried to get up I realized that the thing that impacted me was not an object but rather two people. Two people who apparently need to lose some weight since I cannot even raise my arms as they are pinned down by them. Good lord what do they eat?

I heard a yelp of surprise on top of me and from the corner of my eye, I saw pink panties that covered a well formed butt. "Hobo, I know that you always wanted a girlfriend but do you really have to be a pervert? I hope she farts in your face."

"They just appeared in front of me!"

"Oh sure they did. I totally believe you. Your red face still staring at the panties just tells me how honest you are."

"Then why do you sound so sarcastic?! And I'm not a hobo!"

"Ah, it was too high to jump from after all." Our bickering was interrupted when the cause of our current position spoke up. Female apparently from the tone of it. "Ah, thank you very much. You caught me, didn't you?"

I could feel the black haired man shift his position on top of me as if ignoring I was under him and injured at the moment. That bastard. "Well, not really "caugh-"

"Oh this conversation is very amusing yes." I interrupted their conversation before they could continue. "So go on. Don't mind me being crushed by two heavy things while being injured at the same time. Carry on with your conversation on top of me as if I am dirt."

"Ah really! You'll do that? You're such a nice person!"

"Get off me and I'll show you how nice I am you freaking annoying-"

"Watch out!"

I did not even have time to react before I was pulled from my laid down position on the ground by a hand placed on my own. Apparently the student was also pulled since I could see him also being grabbed by her. I watched as lightning struck the ground where we were seconds before, singing to black and causing my ears to ring. I landed on my back and I turned my head to find that the other two also landed.

My eye twitched when the girl who caused this mess breasts pressed on the young man's face a couple of times and somehow seem to spring the girl up into a crouched position. What the heck? Is this karma or something because it seems like to me that the only person getting hurt around here is me. Yet this hobo here is somehow getting his wish of getting a girlfriend through pure dumb luck. I mean seriously, who has breasts that bounce like that? I bet the girl is getting an orgasm judging by the look on her fa-

I froze when I looked at the girl's face. Isn't that? But no that's impossible. She shouldn't even be here. Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me. Maybe this sekirei and ashikabi thing is making changes to my mind to make me see illusions. Maybe I am just crazy and just see things that are not really there. Maybe I am just so sleepy that I am still half asleep and thus my dreams are still occurring. Maybe the freaking hobo somehow has super powers and make people see the world around him the way he sees it which is alien girls who kiss to make someone their eternal partner

… Okay that last one was a little farfetched… hobos don't have super powers. If they would they would not be hobos anymore. More like super hobos. So much ability yet they cannot even get a house.

But I looked again, shook my head and wiped my eyes and looked once more to see that her face has not changed one bit. Yep I'm crazy. I'm drunk. I have lost my mind. The sushi was poisoned at that restraint because they were ninjas. Yep ninjas. I saw the look that one eyed man with the eyepatch gave me. He was transmitting with his body 'I am going to poison your food Yaka, yaka, yaka'. That's why he was scratching his butt when I wasn't looking. He had the poison in his butt! He went to the bathroom and held up a pile of rice when it was really his own crap filled with poison. That diabolical schemer.

I suspected him the moment he said have a nice day with that mocking evil grin. With those teeth knocked out, it foretold of my current struggle and annoying situation. I can see the old man right now in front of me still grinning with that annoyingly evil smile- wait. What is he doing? Is he taking a dump right now? Are you really going to take a dump in front of all these people? Do you really want me to eat your poison crap that much? Well this person right here is not going to fall for your bag of tricks. I have a gun and I am going to shoot it. Or maybe that's what he wants! He put crap in my backpack. See! His smirk is getting wider every time my hand gets closer to my backpack. He put crap in it while I wasn't looking. He held it in his hand while walking in the street saying it's a rice ball and people just shrugged it off like it's a common occurrence. When someone asks what the smell is, he says 'its onigiri'. That is how he kills while living the life as a ninja. This is a true hokage right here. He feeds people his crap while making them think its rice. You're not going to take me down old man. I have seen through your lies. You may be smirking now but-

My body tense when I felt something was placed on my shoulder. Sweating bullets, I slowly turned my head around and opened my mouth in surprise. It was the same old man. But he's still in front of me. That shouldn't be possible. Is this guy such a master ninja that he used the shadow clone technique to get behind me and take me out. No… it's worse…

He has a twin brother!

Who's the demonic mother that gave birth to these two monstrosities? Did she have poison crap too? Is she like some super ninja with poison crap raised to the next level? Oh god she is probably on the roofs right now and looking at me with a sadistic grin on her face. Then when they all go home, they are going to eat their crap and the mother will say 'well done'. Is this life so cruel, horrible, and disgusting? I know my assignments always go to crap but it's not supposed to be literally- wait…

Yume has big boobs.

…

I punched myself in the face in order to get my mind in order and to wake up from the nightmare.

It's all a lie! Yume does not have big boobs. More like little bumps that can barely be seen. Hell she is even smaller than Karasuba! I felt them myself. All I felt were washboards! Washboards I say! Washboards! There is no way she can have such significant growth in that timespan. It is completely impossible. Did she take some drugs in order to make it larger so she can glomp me more effectively? That slut! If she is going to get an upgrade, I am too…

I am going to get a big Taser with a lot of voltage. I'll get two so Karasuba does not get left out too. Yeah let's see them try to get me now. Beware you two evil beasts, the voltages will be coursing throughout your body and ridding you from my annoying life. I will throw your corpses into the bottom of the ocean to make sure you never rise up again as zombie aliens from another planet… crap they can probably evolve and fly making all this effort pointless! Why does these things happen to me?! This is just too annoying.

Damn you Murphy's Law for making things so complicated and absurd! Damn you!

"Uhh are you alri- EEEEHHH!" When the student tried to approach me, I pulled out a pistol and put it under his chin. I gave him a very cold and merciless look.

"Where is it?!"

"Where is what?" The panicking student tried to back away but I shoved my weapon further up his chin to show that I would not hesitate to pull the trigger.

"The poisonous shit sushi of course! Are you a shit ninja too?!"

"Are you crazy?! What are you talking about?"

"You must be corrupted. You ate shit sushi didn't you?!"

"WWWHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTT?!"

"Hey stop bullying him!" Yume looked at me with intense eyes and looked prepared to tackle me to save the boy.

"Shut up Yume!"

"My name is not Yume. I'm Musubi!"

I body completely shut down at those words. It took a few seconds for it to boot back up before I could think again.

"…..What?" Was my intelligent reply.

"My name is not Musubi. I'm Yume."

I just stared at her with my mouth open at those annoying words that she spoke. If she is not Yume, then why does she resemble her so much? The only person I saw that resembled her so much is when I…

I palmed my face and groaned in annoyance. What are the odds?

The only person I saw that resembled her so much is when I captured her so she could be experimented on and tortured.

"…Oh…that's worse."

The young girl tilted her head in confusion at my words. Now that I look at her a bit closer, she resembled Yume a lot. Same brown, hime hair style with a long ponytail, same brown eyes, same curvy and beautiful body that would make men fall for her. The only difference was that this girl is wearing a white and pink shrine maiden dress with the pink ribbon around her waist extending past her knees along with her gloves being red instead of Yume's black ones. Not only that, but her breasts were huge. Yume does not have large breasts. She's a washboard.

But the one thing that sealed the deal was the fact that her eyes looked innocent, curious and stupid. Yume does not have eyes like those.

"Oh thank god you're not Yume." I let my arms drop to my side and no longer pointed my pistol at the young student. Kind of overreacted there.

"Ahem." I turned my head up toward the new voice and saw two figures on a roof. They were wearing very revealing purple and dark red S&amp;M costumes with black hair that was arranged in an upside down V-style. Very revealing in that it showed their shoulders, thighs and a lot of their midriff. Their yellow eyes glared down at the three of us. I noted that one of them looked hotheaded while the other one looked a calm and composed. "If you are done being crazy, move away so we can terminate that sekirei." It was the hotheaded one that spoke and purple lighting started to crackle within their hands. Now I remember, they are Hikari and Hibiki, one of the only twin pairs in the sekirei plan.

Their gazes were threatening and that lighting was making them seem even more threatening. While Minato started to back away in fear while Musubi glared at them, I just gave them sighed and stared to pick my nose with my pinkie.

"*Sigh* It's the lesbians. Go do your fetishes somewhere else." I waved them off as if they were children.

"Yoooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" The purple S&amp;M wearing girl started to crackle her electricity more dangerously than before, so much that I can even smell ozone in the air despite her being a distance away. Even her sister started to back away due to her anger.

It probably didn't help that I stuck a tongue out at her and proceed to give blow her a raspberry. Yep. She is even angrier now judging by how the lightning erupting from her started to scorch the building she was on top of.

"DDDDIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE" The girl leapt from the building with her hand pulled back, ready to shock me fatally with the lightening that she wielded. Oh I can't dodge that. I should have thought through this more. Maybe I should have played her a song with my raspberry to make her feel better. Probably would have prevented me from dying in the next few seconds.

However, before I could be electrocuted, my hand was grabbed and I looked back to see it was Musubi who had done so. Looking to my right, I noticed that she also grabbed the student by the hand. My arm felt like it was being ripped out of its socket when she began running in a direction away from the two lightning wielding sekirei. I maintained a calm expression and kept my eye on the two S&amp;M sekirei while Minato started yelling due to the situation he was in.

"GET BACK HERE!" The purple S&amp;M girl shouted at us, still crackling with lightining due to her intense anger. Yeah, we will go to you, the angry alien girl who can wield lightning at her will which can probably kill us on contact. Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. Hold on. I'll give you a message telling you how sorry I am for the rudeness we are giving you. Please treasure this message for the rest of your life for a message such as this has never been so inspiring throughout all time and space.

"pthbthhhhhpthbthhhhh." I blew her at her which she can still probably hear and see. Take this message to heart and tell it to all of you descendants. Tell them, this is how much the person that gave me this glorious message gave a crap about you. In other words, he doesn't give a crap.

This caused her to throw a lightning bolt at us which horribly missed due to our distance from each other.

I blew a raspberry at her with more exaggeration, mocking her for her horrible aim and continuing to enrage her to unnatural heights before my head collided with a pole, knocking me unconscious thanks to Musubi's carelessness.

* * *

"This food is great Minato-san. You're such a kind person."

"Ah. No need to cry about it Musubi. It's fine."

"Could use a bit more flavor and eased up on the sauce. The texture is rough and hard to chew through. I'll give you points for the creamy core but it lacks the punch needed to increase its flavor."

"…It's take-out food."

"That you ordered. Be a proper host next time and satisfy your guests with proper food."

"Don't you have your own money?!"

"Unfortunately I have a concussion at the moment so I cannot think properly at the moment so therefore, you pay for everything."

"But you sound like you are just fine right now!?"

"…Maaaarrrrmeeeeeeess"

"Don't try to play dumb!"

Sitting in an apartment were Musubi, the student called Minato, and I after running away from the lightning wielding sekirei. There is a reason why I did not leave earlier. Unfortunately, I didn't wake up until after we arrived at the apartment due to Musubi's carelessness with her hasty retreat. She is such a scatterbrain that I learned that she did not stop running until ten minutes later.

She didn't even realize that we were not in good shape until I coughed up blood from my injuries while Minato showed no response. When we finally did get our bearings, she then passed out due to the lack of hunger which is why we are eating right now.

Eating food that is free. Now if only the pain in my chest was dealt with then I wouldn't have to call this situation annoying. Annoying stupid sekirei who's a scatterbrain.

Hikari and Hibiki most likely belongs to Seo. I saw how he was in the past so it is not that surprising if I am right in my assumptions. He is most likely targeting un-winged sekirei so they will not have to be forcefully winged by ashikabi. As soon as he winged the twins, he must have sent them out immediately an- oh who am I kidding. He is probably sleeping right now without a job. He always was a slacker.

Though I might have to kill him if he keeps this up. I can't let him terminate un-winged sekirei. My client needs them after all to win the sekirei plan. All it would take is a sniper rifle. Just have to target him at night when he is not on his guard. Also have to make sure that his sekirei are asleep as their abilities could disrupt the assassination. Of all things, he had to choose lightning wielding sekirei. I wonder if he did that because he knew I might kill him one day. I may be overthinking this but the situation always tend to be worse even when it looks normal.

Musubi… meh. Whatever. Forget her. She doesn't even remember that I kidnapped her to be tortured and experimented on since she was an infant at the time. Even when we first encountered each other, she thought I was some stranger who was bullying Minato. It is a good thing that she is really a scatter brain. It would have been annoying if she one of those people who seek to destroy me for revenge because of the trouble I caused them.

Though her similarity to Yume is concerning. I really doubt that the similarity is a coincidence. The only thing different about them are breast size, clothing and mindset. Other than that they are pretty much the same. They are both fighters, have brown eyes, and brown hair. Heck, they even have the same hairstyle. The resemblance is so close that it is annoying. The only other difference is that one has an ashikabi and…one…doesn't.

Oh. Musubi is an un-winged sekirei. Completely forgot about it due to the broken ribs and concussion.

So how should I go about this? Should I wing her myself since it would be too much trouble to call Kakizaki or Higa over? I don't have the proper tools yet to transport her to them. I was mostly unprepared due to being given an assignment of only retrieval and delivery. But how should I exactly forcefully wing her? She has physical abilities and senses that surpasses a human. If she were to somehow catch on to what I am doing, all it would take is a punch and I am either heavily injured or dead. Another problem is how Minato will act once I try and wing her.

Maybe winging her is impossible. Maybe her termination to prevent any future competition is the only answer. All I would have to do is wait until she wings someone and then take out her ashikabi, eliminating one future opponent in the plan. If she has any similarity to Yume, even though she looks weak, stupid, retarded, clutzy, stupid, scatterbrain, mentally impaired, air-headed, and stupid, she will most likely become a threat in the future.

Another option is to not kill either, the ashikabi nor the sekirei. It may be best to blackmail them into Higa's services. That way, even if she did become a threat, it will be a threat that will be used to eliminate the competition. It wouldn't take much. All it would take is some digging up for information or making the ashikabi get into an unfavorable situation. Maybe frame him or her in something that will be impossible to get out of unless they receive my and Higa's assistance.

So forcefully wing the sekirei, kill the ashikabi and therefore terminate the sekirei, or blackmail them into Higa's services. Either one of those will be fine. The answer will probably be…

Wait…why is she undressing?

"Why are you undressing?!" Minato shouted the question in my head and hastily backed away against the wall as if to prevent himself for seeing her naked form while I just stared at her with a raised eyebrow.

Said undressing sekirei tilted her head in confusion before putting a finger on her chin. "My clothes got dirt on them since I was running away from those two mean sekirei. I want get them off since I don't want to feel dirty."

"But you shouldn't undress in my room! You should do it in the bathroom!"

The scatterbrain only tilted her head further at the hobo's suggestion. "Why?"

I walked over to Minato and started whispering to him, pointing at the brown-haired sekirei with my thumb. "Oi. Minato. You finally got the chance to get a girlfriend. All you have to do is trick her into thinking she is your girlfriend. Then, you take her to your bed, close the door then profit. It's foolproof."

"I can't do that! That's taking advantage of her!"

"So? People do it all the time."

"But I don't!"

"Oh, then why did you take her to your own apartment instead of giving her food then being on your way? That would have been the most reasonable option considering what you just saw before."

"Well…um…"

"Don't tell me you got so engrossed in her body that you completely forgot about the lightning twins and the fact they they jumped from a building."

"Uhh"

"You did didn't you?"

"I just wanted to help her since she looked like she was in trouble."

"Because her body was in trouble. I see. I see."

"Don't mess up my words!"

"You want to mess her up? You're such a dirty boy. I bet you have a porn collection under your bed."

"Will you sto-"

"Ah. It's so hot!" We both turned our heads toward the only woman in the room, her breasts full exposed and nipples easily seen.

There were different reactions to this. My eye just twitched while Minato had a nosebleed, running out the room in the process. That pervert. He even too a quick glance back once he was close to the door. I just shook my head at his predicament. I am already used to this due to Yume's antics in the past so I will not be affected by this. I am a calm-headed mercenary who can deal with any type of situation no matter how impossible it is. I will not be affected by some alien girl who does not even have a shred of decency.

"Ah. Is he alright?" I stopped shaking my head and looked at the woman, noticing that she was staring at me.

"Yeah he's fine. He's just a pervert who has to deal with some business in his pants."

"But isn't there a bathroom in here."

"Oh not that kind of business. Plus you probably can hear him doing it which is why he went outside. I'm going to make sure to check on him to make sure everything is fine."

Translation: Take a picture and use it for blackmail later on. I don't really know this Minato person that well and he really seems like someone useless but you never know.

I went out the door and blinked when I realized that I was being watched as soon as I went out of the apartment. I looked toward the steps and noticed that the hobo was talking with some badly who most likely must be the landlord of this place.

That, or he is talking with his fellow hobo. The cult of the hobo is rising within the world.

"See. There are no girls here."

I narrowed my eyes at the baldy. "Did you just think I was a girl?"

"Hmph. I know what I saw. I know you walked in with a girl."

"Again, did you just call me a girl? If you did, I am going to sho-mph, mph, mph."

Minato, covering my mouth to prevent me from speaking my mind, smiled awkwardly at the landlord of his home. "There are no girls here. All there are two students trying to study. Hah, hah, hah."

The short bald man narrowed his eyes and started to go down the stairs but not before stopping and casting a glare the neet. "If I find a girl, you will be kicked out, no questions asked. This apartment is only for hardworking students."

"Yes, I understand. Please have a nice day."

"Hmph."

After the bald man left and Minato made sure he was out of earshot, he let go of his hand on my mouth and finally sighed in relief.

"Douchebag. For studying students only. The only thing people study for these days is how to get into each other's pants."

"Can you please not cause problems for me? I don't have a job yet and I really don't want to get kicked out of here. It's the only place I can afford to buy."

"…No promises."

The black-haired man did not like my words of assurance at all and let his body fall on the railings, letting out a really long sigh.

"So what are you going to do now? From what I can tell of your situation, your parents are giving you an allowance which they are surely going to cut since you failed the entrance exam, you do not have a job, and if you decide to keep the girl in your apartment, you will be eventually kicked out and forced to live on the streets."

The young man looked at me with complete disbelief etched on his face. "How do you know all that?"

"I don't. It's just an assumption. So what are you going to do?" I leaned my body up against the wall of the apartment and stared at Minato with a bored expression, just as usual.

He felt uncomfortable so he turned his head so his eyes did not meet my own. "Well… I can't just leave her out there with those dangerous people."

"Then what will you do if said dangerous people hunt her down to finish what they started. Defend her?"

"Yes. I will. I can't just let a girl like that get hurt." He said this with complete determination and looked at me with confidence, straight in the eyes.

Well, look at this. Not many people can say that with complete determination… unless they are naïve. Naïveté gets you killed. I should know.

Because I am one of those dangerous people after all.

"Don't kid yourself. You are saying you can take on those girls who can shoot lightning or use weapons when you yourself almost peed yourself when I put a pistol under your chin? Are you just saying those words because you want a girlfriend despite your failures?"

"Um…" The young man started to back away even though I did not move from my spot.

"Your determination is commendable yet that will mean nothing. All it would take is a single bolt of lightning and then you are dead. It is just that simple. You claim you will defend her but all you would do is just stall her for about maybe a second if you are lucky. So I ask again. What. Will. You. Do?"

The young man started to tremble as he considered my words. It is very likely that Musubi will react to him. I still don't know how this reacting thing works all that well as it only happened to me twice. Karasuba reacted to me now but she did not react to me when we were working together before. It just doesn't make sense to me. What is even more confusing is that Yume, who was a broken number, reacted to me yet Akitsu did not. Maybe she is broken in a different way compared to Yume but that does not explain why Karasuba reacts to me now. This led me to the conclusion that the reactions are based on one's personality, determination, and will.

In other words, if I break the will of the person the sekirei reacts to, the sekirei will no longer react to him/her. Musubi is going to react to Minato due to his kindness toward her which is occurring because he is naïve and does not know the consequences of his actions or the challenges he will face. So in order to stop the reaction, I need to present Minato the-

"I will still take care of her."

What?

I narrowed my eyes at him and he averted his eyes lest he face my cold gaze. "You gave me good points but you are telling me to ditch her. I can't do that. I can't abandon a person in need. I know it's stupid but if I don't do it, I feel that is even more stupid."

"…" So he's one of those types. The types that are completely stupid and have no reason for their actions or words…

Meh. Just so happens I am also one of those types at times… which is why I am going to kill him right here and-

The steps and platform seemed to shake, causing both of us to grab the railings. The sound that came before it sounded much like a car on the monster truck trying to start up but failed every time. It sounded like a beast that was facing weeks of starvations and finally its stomach started to make itself known…

In other words, it's the sound of a sekirei that is hungry. Yep. Heard it before.

"Minato-san. I am hungry." The cause of such a loud sound and small earthquake was none other than Musubi, fully clothed and now shedding tears. "I ate all the food in the pantry but I am still hungry."

"You what? That was food that was supposed to last for a week!?"

"Hungry. Ah. I know." The young sekirei stopped her crying and pumped her fist into the air. "I will make us some food in gratitude for your kindness. Now where are the ingredients?"

"You ate it all you scatterbrain." There is a limit to how stupid one can be yet I am always proven wrong about that every day.

"Ah. Right. I forgot." She knuckled her head and stuck out her tongue in stupidity. I just shook my head while Minato shyly smiled at the girl.

"How about I go buy some ingredients? I have to go to the bank to get more money though. Zike, can you look after her while I'm gone?"

"Do I have to?" I still didn't complete the job Minaka gave me yet.

Minato just gave a deadpan expression at me. "I paid for your food. If you take care of her, you will get more free food."

Free. Food. That I don't have to pay. Yes.

"Okay Musubi. Back into the apartment before the bald hobo comes back." I started to push the girl back into the apartment which she slightly resisted.

"But I want to go and help Minato-san."

Walking down the steps, he smiled at her as he waved goodbye. "Don't worry. It won't take long at all." And with that, Minato left the apartment complex and went to get ingredients.

Leaving me, one of the dangerous people he wanted to defend Musubi against alone with her.

Well at least I don't have to kill him now. It would have been annoying cleaning up the evidence and dealing with Musubi's reaction to his death. I really don't want to have a super-powered alien punch me in the stomach when she can lift and carry two grown men without any sign of effort. That and the dumb speech about what is right and what is wrong. That crap is annoying and long to listen to.

Now all I have to do is wing Musubi since this is all a perfect opportunity.

* * *

Now all I have to do is keep Musubi away from me since this is something I don't want.

Amazing how things can change in just a few minutes.

"No I can't be your ashikai!"

"But…but I want you to be!"

Two minutes. Two minutes after going back inside Minato's apartment and now I am struggling to keep the brown-haired sekirei from claiming my lips. We were in an awkward position where I was pushing her face which was dangerously close to my own while she used her body to press her weight on me to get closer and kiss me against a wall. I should also mention that her right knee is continuously touching a rather delicate place of my body.

Ugh this is just like Yume with the food except this time I'm the food and Musubi is the eater.

"No I cannot be your ashikabi!" I was quickly losing the fight against her due to her alien strength, her face looming closer and closer to my own with each passing second.

"But...but…" The flustered and panting girl cried out weakly but stopped her assault when I karate chopped her on the head.

"No."

"Owie."

She held her head in pain and sat in a seiza position only a few inches away from me. I leaned my body up in the corner to gain as much distance as possible from her. I could not move from my spot because she was blocking my only way of escape. If I tried to make an escape or move, there would be nothing stopping her from kissing me on the lips.

Everything went wrong.

What I was expecting was for her to be against me kissing her. What I expected was for me to restrain her to make sure I have another asset for Higa to use. What I expected was for her to be a scatterbrain as I walked up to her and kissed her. That is the type of mindset I expected.

But then this idiot here blew it all out the window when she suddenly started to react to me and tackled me to try and make me her ashikabi.

So I resisted her. I threw out my previous plans and let the opportunity slip to resist her.

It doesn't make sense. It just doesn't. If this girl is anything like Yume, she is not supposed to be paired up with someone like me. She is a person of kindness, sincerity, and fights for what is right. I am a person who is somewhat apathetic, disrespectful and do not fight based on my feelings but rather what my client desires. Heck, I am even targeting un-winged sekirei yet this girl is still reacting to me.

It is just like Yume all those years ago. It just did not make sense.

I was broken from my thoughts when I felt my hand being grabbed and touching skin. I looked down and saw that the girl grabbed my hand and placed it under her clothes, onto her left breast. She looked at me with a gentle and kind expression.

"Can you feel it?"

"…Your boob?"

"My heart."

"In your boob?"

"It's beating fast."

"It's bouncing fast alright. I bet it would bounce even faster just from standing up."

"Can you really not feel it?" She looked at me with a hurt expression.

I just sighed and scratched the back of my head. "Look. You're a nice girl. Stupid yes and also airheaded but nice. But it just doesn't make sense for you to react to me and will you please stop getting closer to my face." Towards the end of my words, her face started to get closer to my own and I grabbed her face to halt her advance.

"Ah. Sorry. I just felt like kissing you after you started talking. Tee-hee~."

"Don't just tee-hee and stick your tongue out you scatterbrain. Listen to what I'm saying."

"I was paying attention, the reason I am reacting to you, the reason I want to be with you is simple. You are lost my ashikabi." She looked at me with a sad expression on her face while I narrowed my eyes at her. There it was again. They called me the lost ashikabi.

"And what does that mean?"

"…When a bird usually flies, they usually soar to the sky. That is what we sekirei are. We are birds that teach love to others and want to receive love in kind. We want to find our ashikabi so we can not only give love to them but also receive love in kind. That is why we get stronger. That is why we fight."

"…"

"But you… you are just lost. People give you love but you do not accept it at all. Though your words are empty and have a lot of wisdom, it gives people the will to move forward with and be certain with their actions. Be sure of their goals. Be sure of their dreams. Your words are intended to hurt but they give confidence if they think of it in a different way. Yet you still do not receive any love. I can tell, no, I can feel that you have been given love but you do not wish to receive. I do not know what you have faced to act this way. I do not know if I or even us sekirei can help you not become lost. But…"

She looked at me in the eyes and smiled the most beautiful smile I have seen her with. "I still want to try and help you find your way. I want to give you love and hope you receive it. Even if that may take days, months, or even years, I want to help you."

"Because I love you Zike. I just want to help my lost ashikabi find his way."

She continued to beam at me and while I just stared at her with emotionless eyes.

How annoying.

* * *

"You can't just continue to chase and hurt her. That is wrong."

"You just don't understand boy. If she is an un-winged, she needs to be terminated."

"But that doesn't mean you can just hurt her."

"Who cares what you say. In fact…" Purple lightning started to generate from the fingertips of Hikari. "We are done talking. How about I just shock you until you start talking where that sekirei is?"

"Ah. Wait… can't we talk about th-"

"Wwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh"

The lightning twins and Minato both stopped what they were doing once they heard a girl shout in surprise. They turned their heads toward the source of the voice and barely had time to react before her lips was in contact with Minato's own, causing them to fall toward the ground. The twins widened their eyes and noticed that she did not come alone. They turned their heads toward where the brown-haired sekirei came from and noticed that I was standing there, hand outstretched from having pushed Musubi onto Minato.

"Yoooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuu!" Hikari roared in outrage while I just sighed at the girl's rage.

"You have no reason to be here anymore. She is already winged so there is no reason to keep on chasing her anymore. If you continue doing this, it will leave a bad taste in your mouth."

"So what!" The purple S&amp;M wearing girl walked up to me and grabbed my black shirt, lifting me up from the ground and generating electricity from the hand not currently holding me. "I should just shock you for-"

"Drop the tough girl act and leave Hikari. And I don't really care if you shock. By all means, go ahead."

The sekirei paused at my words and flinched when I stared at her with my apathetic eyes. Before she could respond to my words, her sister grabbed the hand holding me and looked at her with a worried expression. "He's right Hikari. We have no reason to be here anymore. We should just go."

"Tch." Casting one last heated glare toward me, she harshly dropped me onto the ground and with her sister, leaped onto the side of a building to jump who knows where.

Seeing as there was no reason to stay here any longer, I also moved to leave but was stopped when a hand grabbed my own. I turned and looked with the side of my head to see Musubi looking at me with a pained expression. I wonder why.

(Naruto Shippuuden Ost 2 - Guidepost watch?v=Q-Y95ErsdSI)

"Why. Why didn't you let me become your ashikabi? Why didn't you accept me even when I spoke my feelings?"

I blinked at her before looking at the sky. Its sunset, the sun already sinking below the horizon.

"You mentioned before that I was a lost bird. Have you ever thought that the reason the bird is lost is because it wants to?"

"Why?"

"You will never know and I don't intend for you to know. But I will say a bird that is lost sees a lot more things that other people do not wish or cannot see themselves. At that point, it becomes so use to being lost that it has no choice but to stay that way. Even if others try to make it follow the path, it will eventually stray from it with time."

Musubi bit her lip. She found an ashikabi. She found me. Yet I rejected her and her feelings even when she spoke them out loud with conviction and no hesition. She wanted to help me. She wanted to love me. She wanted to be with me. She wanted to spend her life with the person she reacted to.

Yet I still rejected her despite knowing all of this.

I could have winged her for my client, killed her, or even blackmailed her. But I did none of these things because… well…

I'm an idiot. And technically Higa did not specify which sekirei to capture. In my defense, he should have been more specific.

…*Sigh*. Annoying Yume and her ideals.

(Music Stop.)

When I tried to move away, Musubi still held tightly onto my own hand. I sighed and shook my head.

Looks like she did not only grab my hand to learn the reason why I rejected her.

It was easy to tell what she was trying to say. Even if she has already been winged, she still wants to try and teach me more about love not as my sekirei but as a friend. She still wanted to try and help me despite already having an ashikabi. Musubi believes that her ideas are right and that everyone should try and experience them, as if it will help anyone who does.

Unfortunately, her ideals will not work for me.

I already tried… tried… and failed with the cost being large.

So even though I am called the lost ashikabi, I _will_ stay lost. Stay lost and hopefully find the answer I am looking for no matter how impossible or hopeless it may seem. Though it may really be impossible considering how long I have been searching for it.

Meh…whatever.

(Smiling by Harry Gregson-Williams watch?v=gCFB-s2-Pkc)

"Musubi." I set my palm that she held on her head and scratched it a bit. She leaned into it and we just stood there. I knew that this might be my one and only chance to accept Musubi's ideals. That there might be a chance that I may find what I am looking for through her words and actions.

It was then that I remembered all the things that Yume showed me. All the things that she wanted to convince me of. All of the things to try and get me to smile and laugh. In a way, Musubi is like Yume despite only knowing her for only a short time. She may expose me to things the same way Yume did.

But the difference between now and before… was that I had no choice to before… yet I had one now.

"Goodbye." My palm left her head and she released her grip on it. Then I walked away from her. I did not accept her as a friend. The next time I see her, I will see her as an obstacle or something that can be used to further my goals. Nothing more… nothing less.

And I already knew my answer. I already decided a long time ago what kind of path I will take. Painful, yes. Lonely, very much so. Difficult, absurdly so. Yet I will continue to walk this path. My reasons… meh.

It doesn't matter and I don't care. It will not change the decision I have made.

(Music Stop)

* * *

"So when are you coming to find Kuu Onii-chan?" Immdeiately after arriving in the usual dream, I found myself on the ground, looking up at Kuu who was leaning over me. I wonder if sekirei in these dreams know when someone comes inside the dream. This was the first time she sought me out instead of the other way around.

"I don't feel like it." I turned over so I did not have to look at her face. I had to get up in the morning so I am not in the mood to mock Kuu…much.

Annoying mornings.

"But Onii-chan is kuu's ashikaba."

"Ashikabi." I corrected her mispronunciation of the term.

"Ashibaba?"

"Ashikabi."

"Akikabi?"

"Ashikabi."

"Alibaba?"

"Ashikabi."

"Fuuu."

"That sounded nowhere close to ashikabi."

The blonde hair girl giggled, obviously amused at her stupidity and my correction for her stupidity. I rolled my eyes before I realized something that eluded me during the whole conversation. "Why are you calling me Onii-chan?" Furthermore, how can that even be possible?

"Because onii-chan is one of the only people who plays with Kuu." I see.

"Then was the other person that played with you Takami." If I recall, they were walking outside of the labs and it was around that time when they were both attacked by Yomi.

I blinked when the little girl lowered her head and gripped her sundress very tightly. Tears started to appear on the corners of her eyes, barely holding on to stop themselves from treaming down her face. "Kuu just wanted to play. Kuu didn't want Taka-chan to get hurt. But Taka-chan got hurt anyway. Then the mean people came after Kuu. Then mean kid wanted to grab Kuu and…and…Kuu…Kuu is scared."

I sighed at my current predicament. The little girl just was curious about the world that she has only seen on computers and pictures. She wanted to smell the world, taste it, feel it, hear it, and touch it. Yet, her first experience in the outside world turned out to be a rather unpleasant one. One of the people she cared about was attacked in front of her eyes and the very same people that hurt her almost captured and winged her. She managed to protect herself but now she is deep within the botanical garden and alone. She is like an animal in a cage except the cage is meant to protect her from the outside, not take away her freedom.

It is almost easy to forget that the winging process is only a one-time thing. All of the sekirei consider this a sacred process, only allowing themselves to be winged to the person they want to be with for the rest of their lives. Even Karasuba consider this sacred, not allowing herself to be winged to anyone she considered unfit or unworthy for her. Once they are winged, their minds will obey their ashikabi and with time, will follow them without hesitation. It is completely understandable why a forced winging is frowned upon.

This whole system can either be a partner or slave and master system. If sekirei are winged to the person they react to, they know that the decisions that he/she makes will be something they can accept and perform without a single thought of hesitation. However, if they are not, they will be forced to do things they dislike but have to carry it out anyway. In the end though, it is all the same. They will follow their ashikabi without question after time with barely any hesitation. It would be simple for those who are forcefully winged to kill their own ashikabi but then again, it's more complicated than one may think.

Would you kill the person you hate with the cost of your own life?

This makes me wonder about the reaction process. Their bodies react to their one true ashikabi but it is just too strange. There are six billion people in the world yet, all of their ashikabi are within one single city. Is the winging process something that developed during the first years that the sekirei landed on Earth or is it something modified within the MBI? Well, I cannot solve anything about it right now even if I do have experience with this sort of stuff. Just because I am experienced does not mean I am all-knowing.

I am proven this fact with every assignment I receive.

"Kuu always has nightmares whenever Onii-chan does not appear."

What? Nightmares? I thought sekirei only dreamed of their ashikabi? From what the MBI discovered and through my interactions with the disciplinary squad, they do not have any sort of nightmares. They either have dreams that are no different from a human or dreams that relate to their ashikabi.

"Every time Kuu has a nightmare… it is always dark all around Kuu. Then red lines chase Kuu. Kuu tries to run away but they always find Kuu. Yesterday, the red lines… almost caught Kuu."

"Were you ever touched by them?"

At my question, the girl started to shake, grasping her head as she crouched down, hyperventilating all the while. I picked myself from the ground and rubbed her head to calm her down. What the heck is happening? No, the better question is what the hell did she see?

"Kuu… was touched by them… once… when Onii-chan was not here…when Kuu was touched… when they touched Kuu…"

I felt a tug, signaling that my time in the dream was coming to an end, right before Kuu finished her recollection of her nightmare.

**_4 Days until Ground Zero_**

* * *

"_Zike, do you have eyes on the target?"_

I yawned. I really find mornings annoying. Cuts away from my much needed sleep and it's always so cold. Why can't I just stay in the air-conditioning and come out later? It's like some abomination created by a rooster. A demonic rooster. That must be it. There is definitely a demonic rooster in our midst. It creates these mornings to deprive us of our much needed sleep. Now if only someone realizes this fact so I can be hired to take it down.

Demonic rooster legs for everyone. Maybe there is also a demonic slime pet so there can be some demonic hot sauce. Ah. Wait. If someone eats or is exposed to something demonic, doesn't that mean they will change into a demon?

Hmm.

"_Zike, I am asking you a question. Do you have eyes on the target?"_

Well if it is a demonic than we can just kill the holy rooster so we can cleanse the demonic energy that is morning. That means we have to destroy the day in order to destroy the morning. An acceptable sacrifice. Who cares about the day? It is like an augmented version of the morning. The demonic rooster must have laid an egg after getting intimate with one of the star roosters. Now they cooperate as father and son to destroy a human's sleep.

Those diabolical celestial beings.

"_Zike!"_

Wait. If we take out the demonic and holy rooster, which means the dark rooster will be taken out as well. Dark rooster is fine and all but, he cannot live without the presence of the demonic and holy roosters. Much like an ex who has nothing better to do with his life. And if the dark rooster is taken out, there will no longer be night. Oh god.

If there is no night, there is no sunset rooster, the most powerful of them all! I will find a way to keep you safe sunset rooster! Your legs covered in h- your sunlight bathing the sun with hot sauced le- your light will be preserved. I said nothing about eating you as food. Nothing at all.

…Although if you are missing a leg, it wasn't me, it was the twilight rooster that did it.

"_ZIKE!"_

"Eh? What? This is Zike to douchebag. What do you want?"

"_My name is Kakizaki and for your sake it will be best for you to remember that or you wil-"_

"Whatever douchebag." I thought he would have realized that threats do not work on me by now. The fact that he is still trying to get me to show him respect is kind of sad. It's just pathetic. "What do you want douchebag? We cannot afford to waste time so just hurry up and get to the point."

"_Your attitude will have a great effect on your pay you barbarian."_

"*Gasp*. Oh no! Not my pay. Anything but that. If only you can see the sarca- fear on my face right now. Oh no the horror!" I could literally hear the secretary of my client growl in irritation through the earpiece. I rolled my eyes. He should already be used to this stuff by now but apparently he is acting like one of those high-class snobs that think that they can do whatever they want.

A.K.A. the species of the douchebag. They are the combination of the species retard and dumbass. A truly complicated yet annoying species.

Sitting down and leaning against the edge of the roof of one of the tallest buildings in Shinto Teito, I yawned and stretched my arms. Sitting right next to me is my new sniper rifle for completing the assignment of identifying the unknown sekirei. I got another piece of equipment for delivering Minaka's crappy manga but I do not necessarily need it right now at the moment. The target should be coming up in a few moments so I should probably start trying to look for her now. What has it been? Like twenty, maybe forty minutes since I first came here?

This is only my second time hunting down un-winged sekirei.

The first time was after my confrontation with Mikogami. The day after, before I met Benitsubasa, I found a particular rare sekirei, an information type when I was exploring the city to see if anything has changed. #22 Kocho. Information types are extremely rare, only three among the sekirei. They do not have any combat or elemental abilities like the others. They specialize in gathering intelligence, mainly computers. After acquiring her with some…. Suggestive advice, her ashikabi is now Kakizaki, the douchebag. After that, they started to use her to start acquiring un-winged sekirei on their own.

I think I was not invited to get the other un-winged sekirei because I continually called him a douchebag.

Another reason may be because I was only supposed to be called when they cannot handle something on their own. They can't just use me every day for every single mission. Would a card player always show his deck to his opponents? No, they would wait until the right moment to do it in order to crush any sort of competition. Of course, there was not much competition because he was still dealing with what happened with his sekirei, Yomi.

The capture process is rather simple. Two of Higa's sekirei, #16 Toyotoma and #18 Ichiya, would attack and pursue the un-winged sekirei and injure her to make sure they can be winged without problems. If they fail to injure and she gets away, or if she is causing too much trouble, the Higa's other sekirei, which are following us as back-up, would help attack to injure the un-winged. I think Kakizaki is trying to crush any sort of hope a sekirei might have or is being careful if the un-winged is not alone. He is a douchebag but that does not mean he is stupid. But that brings the question, why am I called here when they were doing just fine without me? The reason is simple.

The sekirei guardian. Known to me as #6 Homura. I am surprised that Kakizaki did not just use Kocho information about him to find out where he lives and take him out while he is sleeping.

Then again, it may be fortunate that he did not do that if my assumptions of where he is living is correct.

Homura has the elemental ability to use fire and he has been causing quite a bit of trouble with capturing un-winged sekirei. He has fought back the attacking sekirei until the un-winged got away. While this may not have been effective since we have Kocho and therefore, can track them down whenever we want, my client and douchebag have lives. They have to take care of their company while also keeping secret about the sekirei plan. They cannot put their full effort into the sekirei plan. When they plan to capture a sekirei, they have a limited amount to do so. The fact that Homura comes in and waste their time is no doubt irritating.

So that is why they called me to either injure him enough so he can be winged or kill him. They know that he is un-winged but very hard to capture since he is a single number. They said to bring in Uzume if possible but I simply explained that she will not be needed.

Now that I think about it, I haven't checked in on either Akitsu or Uzume for a while now. No, I shouldn't have to check. They can take care of themselves. If they didn't, I would have never met them. Though Akitsu has not shown much, Uzume will most likely take care of her despite being a broken number. Probably just to get my acceptance. Though I wonder how they will react once we are given the assignment to capture Kuu. Of course they will follow but their feelings at capturing un-winged sekirei may get in the way.

I know we will be ordered to capture her because a text will be sent to everyone. Most likely, Higa is expecting me to have my sekirei in tow since there might be a lot of ashikabi seeking to kiss her. They may not like it but orders are orders. Doing what my client has told me is final…unless of course he/she tells me to kill myself. That is the only way I may think twice about doing an assignment.

Considering my past few dreams with the green girl, she is reacting to me which confuses me to no end once more. Why would a little girl react to a mercenary who has killed, stole, and destroyed? It makes no sense why that could even occur…wait.

Kuu's nightmares.

She mentioned red lines seeking her out and touching her. From how she said it, they only got as far as her feet or lower legs before she woke up. When they touched her, she just stop talking altogether because she was so afraid to recall such a thing. Now that I think about it, those red lines are just about as strange as Yomi's unique powers. As a matter of fact, how did she even receive them in the first place?

It sounded like she received them from someone but is that really the case? Is there some other way to receive the powers? There may be some other way to receive the powers other than through contact. Injections? Modification of the sekirei core. Maybe she just kissed the person who just gave her powers just like how a sekirei gets winged? And why did Yomi even trust the person in the first place. It's not like she met them…before…

Unless she did. Not through a personal meeting but through dreams.

I hope I'm wrong. I really hope I'm wrong. I sincerely hope I'm wrong. This could get extremely bad. If what I am guessing is correct, this situation could extremely go wrong. Yomi possibly met the person who gave her powers through dreams. However, receiving the power means that the sekirei core has to be modified. But they were adjusted during the sekirei adjusting process. They were adjusted to make sure a sekirei cannot kill their ashikabi with their alien strength. A hug from an unadjusted sekirei can easily crush a person to death in a few seconds. It is not that easy to modify the core. It functions much similarly like a heart which is why the sekirei plan did not commence until a few years later. The reason why I suspect the core is adjusted is because of living proof:

The broken numbers.

Their cores are broken or just irregular in a way that makes them more powerful than an un-winged sekirei and makes them unable to be winged. What is concerning is that they gained much power despite not being winged. But like I said before, it is not that easy to modify the core. The broken numbers are extremely lucky that they did not die from the procedures. That is just how dangerous and precise the adjusting process is. But Yomi has far too much power. She escaped the clutches of Karasuba and even held her off. Not only that, but she fought Akitsu and Uzume, beating them effortlessly. It is like she removed the restraints that were put on her by the MBI through the adjustment.

Did the person she meet somehow adjust her core to make sure she used her full potential? No, that still doesn't explain why her appearance changed so much. Cores are what makes a sekirei who they are. They make them have somewhat beautiful appearances, powers and abilities. But they are not indestructible or unlimited. They have limits to what they can do…unless the core is somehow removed of that sort of burden. But it has serious effects on the sekirei. So it is still confusing how Yomi received her powers…the only other way, through this method of the core, is if she-

"_Zike. If you do not follow my orders, your services will no longer be needed and I assume you know what that means?"_

"Hm? What? Oh Yeah, yeah, yeah. Find the target. I'm on it." I'm on an assignement right now. I cannot afford to get distracted. I can think about the strange alien stuff later. Grabbing my sniper rifle, I looked through the scope to view the city below me. Such a good sniper rifle. I can see everything.

Looking through the scope, I spotted Kakizaki along with Toyotoma and Ichiya. The secretary had the usual black suit, yellow necktie and glasses. Toyotoma had long green hair that extended past her neck along with an outfit, purple and white, that exposed quite a bit of her midriff. Ichiya has short black hair with a yellow and purple outfit structured to appear a sort of x. Her face looks like a boy in my opinion. They were standing on a roof and waiting for me to give them directions to where the target is.

Adjusting the scope, I scanned around the rooftops for the target. Even though Kocho can give us the area where the sekirei is, she cannot give the specific location like say the exact building. I expected her to at first but then I realized that she is not as proficient as Matsu is. The perverted hacker is a single number after all. So I had to locate the sekirei myself.

The most likely location is the rooftops. Sekirei find it faster to travel on the roof than to travel by car or walk on foot. They find it so normal that they do not really think about it much like how people walk on the sidewalks. So taking that into account, another factor is that they are looking for their ashikabi. For those that cannot meet them through their dreams, they find them with their eyes. So look for a girl on the roof looking down on the streets below. In other words, search for the roofs that are close to a lot of people. Another factor is that sekirei always have a unique appearance due to their lack of understanding of how modern people dress these days. In other words, look for a girl who looks like a cosplayer. Ugh, I sound like a nerd and a pervert. So she should be right…

There. "Target spotted. About five blocks north from your current position. She seems unaware so suitable course of action is to surround her to prevent escape and to conserve strength. Look for a girl in a miko outfit with black hair. Number eighty seven, Kaho." I blinked as I took a second look at the girl. What the hell? Isn't she the sekirei that I captured years before along with Musubi…

Meh. She is just a target right now. It doesn't matter what her personality is like, she must be winged. If it was Musubi, I would have thought the same thing. The brown-haired girl was fortunate that I was not given a specific assignment to capture her.

"_Hmph. Maybe you are not so useless after all. Now if only you can keep up that attitude all the time."_

"Shut up douchebag and get to work. We are limited on time so save the insults until after we completed our assignment."

"_Why you-_" I interrupted him. He really needs to stay on task.

"Possible threat is the sekirei guardian but also other ashikabi seeking to forcefully wing although the flame user is more likely. I will not provide assistance until he arrives so as not to lose the advantage of surprise. If you have any concerns, speak them now and it better not consist of insults. If you don't, get to work. I doubt neither of us would want to displease Higa would we?"

"_Grrr."_ The secretary wanted to bark back but even he knew that time was quite limited. _"All of you, surround her and wait until everyone is in position. We will begin once everyone is in place."_

"**_Yes_**_"_ I heard multiple voices through my earpiece. Only Kakizaki and I were allowed to give the orders. The sekirei cannot speak out since they are considered no different from tools.

Looking through the scope once more, I analyzed the situation. I saw the sekirei under Higa move toward the unaware un-winged sekirei with haste. I narrowed my eyes. Is that how they usually did it? That is just sloppy and inefficient. It's basically a waste of energy and they are giving out their positions before they are even close to the target.

"Everyone stop what you are doing." All the sekirei stopped and looked confused at my command. Kakizaki, looking quite angry, shouted at my sudden orders.

"_What are you doing? Everyone, get-"_

"All of you get on the streets and travel by the streets so as to not alert the un-winged. You are giving out your position by jumping on the rooftops which will cause her to run away. Capture is assured but it is a waste of time and energy. The sekirei is surrounded by three buildings. Two each head to the three while the remaining spread out among the streets in case she decides to jump off the roof. Do all of this inconspicuously."

"…"

"While your ideas are good in form douchebag, it is how you execute that determines whether it succeeds or fails. Now I see how the guardian sekirei was giving you so much trouble. Let me guess, you guys ran out of energy from chasing the un-winged, having no strength to fight him back?"

"…_I thought you said you will not provide assistance."_

"I meant a different type of assistance. Hopefully, if this goes well, I may not have to use it."

Higa has acquired a lot of sekirei over the past few days, eight in fact which is rather impressive. They did as I was told and proceeded to move through the streets to avoid detection. Kakizaki, who was travelling by having one of the sekirei carry him, also walked with a rather irritated expression on his face. In no time they got into position and I ordered the sekirei near the building to stop once I saw them preparing to jump onto the roof.

"All of you, don't just jump onto the roof. Like I said before, you need to be inconspicuous. And-" I stopped myself once I saw something jumping on the roofs a distance away. I narrowed my eyes once I saw water and fire attacking each other. #6 and #9? It is easy to identify them because they are the only two sekirei with fire and water elemental abilities. Homura has grey hair with a black face mask and clothes that made him look like some sort of assassin. Tsukiumi is dressed in a black dress with a white underdress which shows her cleavage, which is quite big considering I can still it despite being so far away from her, wears a choker on her neck, and has long brown boots with black stockings.

Hm…

"Change of plans. The sekirei guardian and sekirei number nine are close to the target."

"_What? Then we should retreat."_

"Retreat? Why should we? Will we ever get a chance to wing two single numbers plus another sekirei again?"

"_If it was against two then I would be surer but three, even with our numbers, is not enough. Single numbers are not to be underestimated."_

"It is not always power that allows you to claim victory. It is how you change the situation to your advantage that assures you victory. The two sekirei behind the un-winged, jump onto the same roof as her and approach slowly with your weapons drawn if you have any run towards her when I say now."

The two sekirei, appearing to be Toyotoma and Ichiya, jumped onto the roof and managed to not alert the un-winged sekirei who was still gazing towards the streets. I looked through my scope to see where the sekirei guardian is. He noticed. Now he is heading toward the un-winged along with #9 who is shouting at him for some reason. This caused the un-winged to look for where the shouting was coming from and I could see the surprise on her face when she saw Higa's two sekirei.

"Now." With that single word and with grins plastered on their faces, they dashed toward the un-winged who is caught off-guard by the sudden attack, unable to move. They were almost within striking distance before they were suddenly stopped by flames and water. They jumped in front of the un-winged, looking much like heroes.

Too bad for them. I'm used to seeing heroes.

"The one carrying Kakizaki, carry him onto the roof. Kakizaki, talk with them and…do what you usually do. Appear threatening, gloat, be a douchebag."

"_Why you-"_

"Just do it already so we can wing the three of them without any problems."

The sekire did as I was told and carried him to the roof. His foot touched the ground and he adjusted his glasses, talking with the two single numbers all the while. Homura narrowed his eyes. Tsukiumi shouted. The un-winged gazed at Homura with a surprised expression. Toyotoma and Ichiya just stood there looking threatening.

This is just like one of those situations where the hero saves the day and goes away scot free. Villain appears and talks about stuff while the heroes preach about what is right and what is wrong.

Annoying.

With the players laid out and the situation playing along below me, I determined the course of action to successfully complete my assignment. These kinds of jobs are less annoying. I don't have to get hurt myself.

"Keep talking Kakizaki. Everyone else, jump onto the roof on the signal. The two sekirei that can see the un-winged and are closest to her, restrain her. The sekirei that can see #9 and are closest to her, just jump onto the roof and block her escape. On my mark."

(Play Dead Man Wonderland Ost 6 - watch?v=rToCE6HVW18)

"3"

I saw Homura lighting up his hands and Tsukiumi gathering water from within the air, preparing for the upcoming battle. Ichiya and Toyotoma backed away slowly but made no move to retreat. Kakizaki kept talking like I told him but from how he was speaking and looked, he was waiting for my signal.

"2"

I lined up my sniper rifle to make sure it would hit my target. All it would take is one bullet and we would have two sekirei within Higa's control. Three… well we would have three if Homura survives the shot. I am confident he is really durable but in the past he showed signs of showing a weak body or at least an unstable one.

It is somewhat surprising that he is doing this sort of thing despite is condition. Saving un-winged so they do not become winged to an ashikabi that they are not reacting to. It would have been funny if I thought it was since I was the one who introduced him to the concept of being a hero in the past. Looks like that stuck on him after all these years.

"1"

I could imagine the happy faces he saw whenever he saved someone. It is no different from him saving their lives. I could imagine their tears of joy, happiness and relief. And I could imagine the smile that came on the fire-wielding sekirei's face once he saw that his efforts were not in vain. Even though his body is weak, even though he was supposed to be enemies with his fellow species, even though other sekirei would have turned a blind eye toward force winging.

He chose to stand and fight for them. He wanted to be a hero. But-

_*Bang_*

-This world is not that simple.

The shot I fired pierced through the number six's stomach. Disbelief was etched across everyone's faces, even the sekirei under Higa's command and Kakizaki. The fire-wielding sekirei blinked before raising a placing a hand on his stomach. I could literally see the surprise on his face as he looked at the blood coming from him. It was only a few seconds after he realized this that he collapsed, Tsukiumi and the un-winged shouting at him in worry and fear.

They were so focused on him that they did not realize what was really happening.

To me, it appeared in slow motion. With the sound of my rifle, Higa's sekirei all jumped onto the roof and took out their weapons. The Tsukiumi gritted her teeth in frustration and Kaho seemed screamed at what has happened to her savior. The water wielding sekirei tried to run toward Homura, shouting his name and none of Higa's sekirei moved until they were given Kakizaki's order. Homura clutched his stomach to try and hold in his blood but I saw that he was losing consciousness with each passing second. Even if he survives and does not deactivate, he will be forcefully winged.

The secretary adjusted his glasses and raised his hand, preparing to give the order to attack.

Assignment compl-

(Music Stop)

_*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*_

I stopped what I was doing immediately. It was just before Kakizaki started to raise his hand that my phone started to ring. Normally this would have not caused me to lose focus, instead, continuing my assignment without care about the world around me. But there was is a problem.

I got a new phone and phone number after I met Musubi.

That was yesterday.

Even if the MBI could hack my phone, it would take them a while to realize that I had gotten a new one. The president himself sent Karasuba in order to find and contact me since it was so hard to do so.

So I do not know who is calling me right now.

Reaching into my pocket, I took out my phone, the one where you flip it to open it and looked at the screen.

One new message. I pressed view message.

It was just when Kakizaki started to lower his hand that I shouted into the earpieces.

"Stop what you are doing. Forget them. Head back to Higa's office right now. We are leaving the un-winged right now."

"_What?" _Kakzaki stopped midway through lowering his hand and pressed his earpiece to figure out why I gave the sudden order. Even the sekirei that were preparing to seriously injure the un-winged sekirei stopped in confusion at my words.

"_But they are right there. We cannot just-"_

"It will all be useless if we continue."

The message was short and simple.

_Her revenge is commencing_.

"_What do you-"_

"Higa is about to be attacked."

* * *

I arrived at the skyscraper that Higa owned much sooner than the rest of them. I always make sure my motorcycle is close by after all. Plus, even if they could jump across buildings, they still had to make sure the sekirei plan was a secret lest they face the consequences. Add in the fact that the skyscraper was on the other side of the city with roofs to jump on in between, it was understandable why I arrived first.

I walked through the doors of my client's building once more and saw Higa himself in front of me, surrounded by a few bodyguards. He was talking with someone until he saw me and narrowed his eyes. Higa has given me specific information not to contact him or meet him in person unless it was an emergency.

His life being in danger registers as an emergency to me. Well how am I supposed to explain this without making him lo-

_*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*_

There it was again. Normally I would not trust something like this and maybe I am being paranoid but the message said _her. Her_ as in the person I met a few days ago. _Her_ meaning the person who caused _her _ashikabi to dislike her. _Her_ as in the person who has unique powers.

I once again opened up my phone and raised an eyebrow when my phone went black. An image suddenly appeared on my black screen showing a sprite of some skeleton in a black cloak wielding a scythe. Looks like the grim reaper. The reaper moved across the screen and appeared next to another sprite, looking like a girl. The reaper swung his scythe much like a game character would and the girl collapsed, her body white due to being killed. After a few seconds my eye twitched.

Is this some sort of joke? I really have no time for these things. I don't want to watch these five night's at freddy's animation sprites. Maybe this person is just try-

I froze as the animation continued to play.

Red lines started to appear on the woman's body and started to spread out. It was only a few seconds later that she stood up and a red like aura started to generate around her. The reaper laughed and so did the sprite.

Then my screen turned black once more.

Before I could react, the reaper and girl was shown again, except this time, there was a man next to her that seemed to have some kind of line connect to the girl. The reaper swung his scythe once more and the man died.

…No…

The man died.

_But so did the girl._

…Oh no…

The man stayed dead yet the girl was covered in a red aura again, both her and the grim reaper laughing before my screen turned black.

A new animation showed, showing a sleeping girl. Everything seemed fine but red lines started to appear on the screen.

_Red lines like the ones Kuu mentioned in her nightmare._

The lines loomed closer and closer to the girl before it started to touch her body. When it touched, the girl moved up and down, showing signs of struggle, but after a while she turned white.

In other words, she died.

Soon after, red aura seemed to generate from her much like in the previous animations before my screen turned back to its previous look before the animations started playing.

I looked up from my screen and looked at my client, only to see him no longer at me. It looked like he was looking past me. He and everyone in the building in did the same.

It was at this time that I sensed aura. It was the same one as the girl who attacked me before. The same one that managed to fight on par. The same aura that is unique and unknown. The same aura that generated so much hate towards me. Except this time it was much, much, stronger.

But I did not feel just one aura.

There were four.

I looked behind me and saw a figure standing in front of three cloaked figures, similarly dressed as the person in front.

The person in front grinned savagely.

_She grinned as her white her flew and as she held a black scythe at her side_.

It was not that hard for me to piece together what she came here for. From that message, it was easy to tell.

She was going to kill Higa and all of his sekirei that dies with him will become like her.

And here I was, a weak human and standing in front of me were four sekirei that had auras that were just as powerful as Karasuba.

Crap.

* * *

Heh, heh, heh. Cliffhangers. Gotta love them.

I was considering on continuing but I am getting into the habit of writing ten thousand words or up to a certain scene so there won't be such a long period between updates. I ended it here because it would have been unsatisfying if I continued.

The five-night's at freddy's reference was a way to help you picture what Zike saw. It is much similar to it except the characters are different.

I actually had a different chapter that was unlike this one and posted it. It was through a review that I realized that it was complete crap and nothing like what I made before. So I deleted it and then this abomination came up. It is amazing what discouraging reviews can do.

For those who read said crappy chapter, I apologize… pfft yeah right. Just consider crappy chapter as just a warm-up for me to get back into the mood and not part of this story.

Plus school ended today. Whoo! No more physics!

Anyway, next chapter will be the continuation of this plus the end of the countdown for the days. No promises though as I don't know how long the continuation will be. After that, a chapter in the past then finally, the chapter after that will end the whole act.

Review, comment, and tell me how you think so I will know what to improve on.


	10. Present: Act 2-5

I am getting the weirdest sense of déjà vu right now. No seriously, the similarities are so close it is annoying.

On Kamikura years ago I was surrounded by aliens. Well technically I wasn't since I was a hologram but still, I was surrounded by super-powered aliens. Years ago in Shinto Teito I was surrounded by aliens again. It was only two of them at first but then it developed into four aliens. I should really feel annoyed that most of them were women.

Right now, I am surrounded by aliens. And their power…

Okay, let's imagine Karasuba. She is a killing machine and even named the black sekirei among her kind due to her infamous reputation. Actually she is easy to get along with but that is beside the point. She can kill a human with ease without getting a speck of blood on her and her swordsman ship is none to take lightly. Let's not forget that smile when she is in a fight. Well she couldn't kill me despite trying to do so a few times but I consider those exceptions.

Now, let's put that into perspective a bit. She can move faster than any human could hope to dream, her physical strength can easily kill a person with just a punch, her smile is so freaking creepy, and she loves to fight.

In summary, she's a chupacabra. You know, that Mexican taco thing. Wait, I think it was cyptid…nah definitely a taco.

Now, imagine there are four of those tacos. That's like four times the strength, kills, and creepy smiles. It is hard enough trying to take down one of those tacos but now there are four of them? Yeah, that is pretty bad. It's like you went into a bathroom but there is no toilet paper and apparently you went into the woman's restroom when you are actually a guy.

Now, imagine that the tacos are super-charged. That's like Holy Shit multiplied by ten to the power of WTF. It basically means if those tacos happen to have you in their sights, you will die…

Wait how can a taco kill? Does the person get so fat from eating the tacos that he can no longer live? Or maybe the tacos are so spicy that the person just explodes in flames.

Anyway, back to my current situation, there are four super-charged tacos in front of me. One of them really, really, really, hates me but all of them want to kill Higa so there can be even more super tacos. While it is concerning that I received all of this information from an anonymous source, I am here now and I must get Higa out of this situation.

Analyze.

First, outside forces. MBI will not likely move to defend Higa due to them being competitors so assistance from tem is not likely. Other forces are Kakizaki and the sekirei under his command. They cannot defeat single numbers especially mutated ones so they will only head towards their death, causing the enemy to gain more power and allies. Police and the Japanese defense force are out since the MBI bought the city and will not let anyone in without permission. In that case, the MBI may have to come regardless because they are providing security for the city.

Second, area of conflict. We are inside Higa's skyscraper building which is twenty floors tall. The two elevators only go up to the twentieth floor so one needs to take either two sets of stairs located at the South and East ends of the building to get to the roof. The individual floors themselves usually have those work spaces where there is a wall between each worker so they can focus on their work or lounges for the workers to relax in. Currently, the time is about afternoon so some of the workers should be leaving to go on break which is why the lobby is so crowded at the moment. In other words, there are a lot of people and this will be the same on each and every floor.

Third, enemies. Enemies are unknown sekirei with unknown powers. The abilities of Yomi are known but the identity and abilities of the other three are unknown. It is best to assume they are a combination of close combat and ranged combatants. Elemental ability users among them should be taken into consideration but is extremely not likely unless they use an uncommon element. When they kill a sekirei, based on the information I received, they will revive and come back as one of them, mutated and super-charged with enhanced abilities. If they kill an ashikabi, he/she will die permanently but his/her sekirei will revive and obtain enhanced abilities, under the control of whoever is causing this mess.

Fourth, objectives. The enemies objective is most likely kill me and Higa. Higa has a lot of sekirei under his command due to forcefully winging sekirei so if they manage to kill him, the amount of forces they will obtain will be extremely annoying. My objective is to get out of the mess with Higa alive. He may lose his business, reputation, and other things but at least he will see another day. There may be a way to get him out of here as the roof of this building has a heliport. Extraction by that method is the only way out seeing as how the mutated sekirei are blocking the entrance. Higa most likely can get one here in about twenty minutes considering how close Shinto Teito is to an airport and the time it takes to start one up.

All of the pieces have been identified but variables may be extremely likely. Plan is to tell Higa to get a helicopter and hold off the mutant sekirei until the helicopter arrives by any means necessary. Reinforcements under Kakizaki's command may come sooner so they can help with the plan should they come. Although, the reinforcements may cause harm rather than relief due to the enemies abilities.

Now that that's all settled, now I need to figure out how to escape the four of them in front of me when their eyes are looking directly at me. Well how did I escape before? Holograms doesn't count. Can't even use it right now and I don't have one on me. Explosions is also out since I don't have any. All I have is a sniper rifle strapped to my back, two pistols, a sub-machine gun and…oh…that could work.

Karasuba always hated those things. Now how am I going to be able to use it without getting killed when I am about to use it? They have their eyes on me and look ready to react to even the slightest movement. The only way this could work is if…

"HOLY CRAP WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" I shouted in the lobby, grabbing everyone's attention at the unexpected action and directed their sights to where I was pointing which is…a garbage can. I pointed to a garbage can. When the audience turned their heads back in my direction to wonder how stupid I could be, they noticed something flying in the air where I once stood.

They fell for it. They actually fell for it. I closed my eyes when the flashbang that I threw erupted, blinding anyone that had their sights on it and also causing them to temporarily lose their hearing. While the crowd screamed in horror at a supposed terrorist attack, I continued to run after the throwing the explosive, grabbing Higa's hand and running towards the elevator. He obviously didn't like what was happening and tried to resist during my sprint to the elevator. As I pressed the button for the metal compartment to come save our lives, he shouted in outrage. In my ear too.

"What? Unhand me yo-"

"Stop screaming Higa. It's Zike. You would have been killed if I had not done that and if you want to live you better..." I trailed off when I sensed something approaching our position rapidly. Dang it. One of them probably blinked. There is always someone blinking during the flashbang. Literally, every time.

I looked back, just as the elevator started to open, to see one of the black cloaked sekirei jumping in the air, one of its arms currently in a position to throw something. Seriously? Are the sekirei ninjas now? First I have to deal with aliens that are hard to kill but now I have to deal with alien ninjas, making it even harder to kill? Freaking anno-

Wait. No complaining now. Crazy mutated sekirei about to kill me right now. I dragged Higa into the elevator just as the sekirei threw her projectile. There was a man inside the elevator but I quickly shoved him to make way for Higa and me before pushing Higa against the wall of the elevator while I leaned against the other side.

Before the man could attempt to question what was going on, something gleaming pierced through is chest. It didn't even register what was happening to him until he started to bleed. Maybe it didn't register to him because he is already dead from how his body is collapsing with the same questioning expression on his face.

While the CEO of the building backed away in fear at the murder before his eyes, I quickly pressed the button to the floor I wanted to go to and grabbed the sniper rifle on my back, leaning out of the metal compartment and taking aim at the sekirei still in the air from her jump. That was an extremely fast attack. If she did it again, I have no doubt it would piece through walls and even metal.

Quickly taking aim, I shot at the sekirei, aiming to at least prevent her from making another attack. Apparently it worked. I saw the sekirei slightly raise its head as if it was surprised and moved one of its arms holding the projectile to block the bullet. The doors closed before I could see the rest of what was happening but I suspect that she must have landed on the ground. The people running around and bumping into her must be preventing her from taking another shot since there is nothing gliding through the elevator with ease at the moment.

"Zike, what is going on?" Higa looked at me with narrowed eyes filled with rage. Well, he was attacked in his old building after all. No doubt he would have trouble dealing with the paparazzi.

"Short version: You are being targeted at the moment and since you don't like sekirei, nobody is here to help us and I doubt the MBI will provide assistance. Kakizaki is still a distance away so don't expect him to provide assistance so soon. In other words, we are on our own." While I was talking, I inspected the scene of the murder.

The projectile that the sekirei threw is a knife and she must have some arm since I am having trouble pulling it out of the wall of the elevator. When I finally managed to pull it out by using both of my arms and a leg, I noted that the knife did not look its edge was not bent or the blade itself is not dented at all. Extremely durable apparently. MBI always uses top grade items to craft the weapons of the sekirei after all so of course something like a throw won't break it easily.

The knife must have stopped for a second before launching because that was how long it took for me and Higa to get into the elevator which is about the same time she threw the knife. There must be some kind of rule for her abilities to work. It may be that the knives are attracted to metal, a moving target, or blood. Can't test it right now since the knives don't work the same as before by themselves. They require the influence of the sekirei in order to work.

"Higa, call a helicopter or something to get us out of here." I didn't look at him when I ordered him, continuing to look for clues as to what one of the mutated sekirei abilities are.

I heard a snort behind me and I jerked my head upwards. It wasn't the snort that caused my head to rise. "And why should I listen to someone like you? You are causing nothing bu-"

He stopped talking when I practically lunged against the buttons of the elevator and quickly pressed the open button repeatedly. "Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap." I sensed one of the sekirei stop while the others seem like they were waiting for the other elevator to come down. Now this wouldn't cause me to care alone but it was where she stopped that is concerning.

Directly below us.

Reminder: two of the sekirei that I have seen can use projectile attacks.

As soon as the elevator opened, I grabbed Higa and threw him out of the metal compartment. I moved to hastily to follow him but annoyingly, I was too slow. As I was running out, multiple projectiles, most likely knives, pierced threw the bottom of the elevator to embed themselves deep into the ceiling of it. One of them just so happened to go through my left ankle, making my sprint turn into a tumble.

Well this sucks. Now I can't move as much as before. Can't even make me left foot land on the floor correctly without it bending in a direction I don't want it too. So that means the tendons and muscles are cut until I get medical attention. Yeah this sucks. Wasn't much of a leftie but I really don't want to walk like a disabled person. Makes it easier for people to kill me to be honest.

"Higa, it would be really nice right now if you could call a helicopter right now considering the fact that I can't feel my left foot anymore. Not trying to rush you or anything but there are four sekirei after us and I am handicapped at the moment." The elevator next to the one we were in before began to ding every few seconds. Considering that we were on the fifth floor right now it should be right about- ah there it is. "Any day now." I looked at Higa and saw him edging away on his behind from the metal compartments while the people on this floor looked between me and the elevator with horror and fear. They were too shocked to realize what was going on. Well I did get stabbed in the ankle and they saw knives going through the bottom of the elevator so it's not really surprising.

Though it is really annoying since them being frozen in fear is going to get me and my client killed so there's that. I have to do everything myself.

Thinking fast just as the elevator opened, I reached into my backpack and pulled out a smoke grenade, throwing it toward the elevator before shooting it with a pistol, covering most of that area in white smoke and causing people near it to go into a coughing fit. "Run!" I shouted these words to Higa, making him snap dazed state, causing him to get on stand up and make a run for it. The stupid crowd, now realizing that this could cause them harm, also started to run away from the elevators and toward the stairs.

I didn't turn my attention to Higa when I shouted. I kept my focus on the cloud of smoke where the mutated sekirei were and watched for any sign of movements. It didn't help that I was leaning against one of the desks due to my foot being disabled, making it hard to keep my balance. Still could keep my aim though. Being in these type of situations a lot kind of helped with that.

A shadow burst through the cloud the smoke just like I expected, ignoring me completely and heading for the crowd of people, more specifically Higa. On closer inspection, it was Yomi, her white hair seeming to glow in the sunlight as she leapt toward Higa with a savage grin, her scythe behind her ready to give the business man a gruesome death. With her sekirei strength, she flew in the air by landing on the desks and launching herself afterwards, breaking them due to how much power she put into it. It caused papers, pens and other things fly into the air with her which is not that hard to notice.

She made one mistake though. She forgot about me. Even though I am injured, that didn't mean I am not a threat.

Taking aim with one of my pistols, I aimed for one of her legs. She is moving so fast that she would appear as a blur to the untrained eye. But all one had to do is predict where she was going to land next. She had a pattern after all, making it easy to do so. When she was nearly upon Higa, her grin widening, she didn't notice me shoot at her. Probably thought I was a lousy shooter.

Well am I such a lousy shooter now with that look on your face due to you messing up in your launching, causing you to fall onto one of the desks with a crash? Yeah, didn't thin- wait. Aren't there three more of her? Looking back at the cloud of smoke, I saw the knife throwing sekirei headed towards me, her hands in a position to launch more knives to harm and kill me.

Getting my body off of the desk I was leaning on, I let myself fall to the ground, just as she threw the knives. The glistening weapons flew in front of my eyes but then suddenly stopped in mid-air. Ah. Now that I think about it this floor feels kind of like metal and oh god they are pointing at me. I hastily rolled out of the way before they could pierce my body with great force. I ignored looking at the dangerous weapons digging themselves into the floor and kept my eyes on the sekirei. She launched herself from the floor so she can have better aiming at an angle.

Pulling out one of the rolling chairs from the desks, I kicked it toward her and since she was still in mid-air and not really expecting a human to fight back, it interrupted her flight. She flew right over me and landed on her face. It made this situation slightly less annoying when her face started to drag across the ground.

At this time, I had a view of the crowd of people. They were crowding around the doorway of the stairs, Higa being right in the middle of them. People, when panicking, never thinks about how to be more efficient when escaping. All they can think about are themselves and not about others and did I just see a blur?

I narrowed my eyes and realized, yes, that I did see a blur heading for the crowd of people. Dang it, she is moving so fast it is hard for even me to keep my eyes on her. Not teleportation because she would have been on top of the crowd right now. I only have two seconds until she is close enough to Higa to end him.

...Hm.

Turning myself onto my belly, I threw the pistol in my hand towards the back of Higa's head, just because I am cruel like that. I watched as the high-speed moving cloaked moving appeared in front of the path of my thrown weapon aiming for Higa's head, interrupting her chance at taking out the business man. While she crouched down in pain because I am no slouch in throwing things just as I am in shooting, I noticed that she had what appeared to be short swords in her hands.

These sekirei are dangerous, yes, but the one thing they lack is combat experience. Considering the fact that even though they were mutated, they spent their whole lives in laboratories, exposing them to little of the outside world. Though their natural ability is to fight, making them more adept at combat than the average human, it did not make them masters. Excluding the single numbers, I suspect that almost no sekirei has good combat experience.

Experience may not seem important but it determines whether you live or die in combat. If you get stabbed but you are already familiar with pain, it will allow you to push on to survive instead of freeze up and die. If you have already seen someone with unexpected moves, rather than rage at the unfairness of the world, you would adapt accordingly based on how the opponent moves. Even faced with unfair and unnatural odds, rather than panic, you would calm down and think about how you could change the situation to the advantage.

Even though one could have pure power, so much more than their opponent, facing someone with experience could possibly lead to their defeat. It is what makes the single numbers so fearsome. Not only do they have more power than other members of their kind but they have a lot of experience to boot. It is why taking them alone is very close to suicide. But the thing is, only the first five sekirei have so much experience. The other single numbers barely have any to be honest.

Well except number eight, Yume, of course. She was always one to break people's expectations.

The point is, these sekirei right here lack much experience so it does not make sense for the person causing this mess to give them such power ups. It would be so much better to gain control of the single numbers to have a better chance at success when giving out tasks. The only way to explain why the person didn't do so is either because their minds are so young, making them easy to manipulate or that the person lacks the power to take on the single numbers. In other words, even though she can grant others great power, he/she barely has any power herself.

Why would the person go so far in doing such things? No doubt it is because of me based on Yomi's attack on me a few days ago. But is that really enough to take things so far? I mean, all I did was take a few sekirei to be tortured and…ah. Forgot about the other thing I did just before I left the MBI. Yeah that would do it.

The only witnesses of that event were a few of the single numbers and a few other sekirei who were quite young at the time. I didn't pay much to their faces at the time but I can be completely sure that it was one of those sekirei who saw me do the deed. One of those sekirei is causing this entire mess either due to hate or madness. Unfortunately, finding him/her is going to be extremely hard since I sort of disabled the security cameras at the time and the MBI probably has the information stored away under tight under security to prevent any of the information gathering sekirei to know about it. After all, if sekirei in the plan learned of the secrets of the MBI, they could possibly demoralize other sekirei into no longer participating in the sekirei plan or even make them rise up against the MBI itself in an attempt to take them down. Secrets that have been kept from people their entire lives kind of makes people do that.

Why am I thinking about such things when there is a dangerous situation going on at the moment? Well that's simple really. I have been trying to get up with my disabled foot in tow and I just sensed one of the sekirei heading towards me. Seeing as how reaching for my other pistol would cause me to lose my balance and not aim properly or trying to shoot with my sniper rifle would only yield unsatisfactory results, I am basically screwed at the moment.

If I was fighting for myself, I would not be injured as I am now and things would not be annoying as it is now. Unfortunately, I can't really do that since my client dying would equal no pay. Well I can't really get paid if I'm dead but I don't really want to fail my assignment which is making sure Higa has an advantage in the sekirei plan. Stupid? Yes. Am I going to stop? No.

It was because of my stubbornness that my head was grabbed and slammed onto the ground with enough force to make me see stars. "Any last words?" I heard behind me. Well seeing that your head is on my head and you are currently sitting on my back at the moment…

"Get off of me fat-ass. You're crushing me under your weight."

"What? I'm not fat! I have a reasonable weight!"

"Have you stood on a scale?"

"I'm on a diet right now so there is no way th-"

"Just kill him already! Don't get in a conversation with him!" I heard Yomi shout with a bit of strain in her voice. Probably still recovering from when I shot her. What a shot it was.

As I looked at the glistening knife in the corner of my eye, I couldn't help but think how fat this woman is. "I'm not fat!" Did I say that out loud?

…I'm not apologizing.

It was just as the knife started to descend towards me that we heard glass shatter close by. The woman on top of me jumped off of me and landed a distance away from me since I can't see her anymore. No, it is more accurate to say that she was forced off of me. I turned my body in an effort to get up and just in time, saw a bladed flying disk above me.

#101 Oriha. Part of the group Kakizaki took along in order to capture un-winged sekirei and defeat #6.

Wow they got here a lot faster that I thought they did. How long has it been? Like five minutes I think.

I found myself being picked up off of the ground. I looked to my right and saw Toyotoma with an irritated expression on her face. "I really don't want to take care of disabled people." I let my arm rest on her shoulder as she grabbed my waist to make sure I didn't fall.

I couldn't help but get annoyed at that little quip. "I am disabled right now because you grandmas and grandpas can't keep up with me."

The green haired sekirei smirked at me but it was easy to tell she was pissed right now judging by the tick mark on her forehead. "Oh? Maybe this grandma right here should just drop you on the ground so I don't have back problems. After all, you are pretty heavy."

"Why you little-"

"Zike. #16. I would rather you focus on the situation right now than banter back and forth at the moment." Both of us shut up once our superior spoke up behind me. We looked back and saw Higa and Kakizaki standing next to each other, their faces having no humor in them. Behind them stood the sekirei that he has obtained over the past few days, on guard due to the enemies in front of us.

I couldn't help but point at the sekirei holding me up at the moment. "She started it."

"What?! No I-"

"It doesn't matter who started it." Higa palmed his face at our childish argument before he looked at me with narrowed eyes. A great change considering he was on the floor a second ago in fear. "What do you suggest we do?" In other words, how do we get out of this mess without getting killed? Well I did have more experience out of all of them.

I looked at him and then turned to look at the three mutated sekirei in front of us, all three of them ready for battle but through my eyes, I could see that Yomi is limping a little. The fact that that I still hadn't seen the fourth sekirei concerns me. Or maybe she is not needed right now unless something happens.

"…We can't win a straight up fight. We would lose. Each of them has the power of a single number. Not only are we lacking in strength despite our numbers but we are also lacking in stamina since we basically ran across the city. And since we don't have transportation at the moment…"

"I called in a helicopter while we were heading here. It should be here in a few minutes." The secretary spoke up behind me, once I started to trail off.

"Well then we may have a shot then, assuming if the helicopter arrives in a few minutes and carry fifteen people."

"It can."

"Then Sai and Oriha, keep them on their feet. They have ranged attacks which will make it much harder to escape. Everyone else, head for the stairs and jump to the roof."

Oriha with her maid style appearance, with short purple hair and a lighter color purple on her head and chest, seemed to throw her bladed disks with some type of telekinesis ability. Sai followed her in kind with blonde short hair, wearing a black leather top up from her belly with leather bloomers and stockings, whipping her strings which had blades attached to them towards her opponents.

Yomi and the knife throwing sekirei, back stepped away lest they be cut by the deadly blades. However, the high-speed sekirei attempted to cut down Sai to stop at least one troublesome sekirei from hampering their progress. Her eyes widened, when a bladed disk appeared in the corner of her eye, forcing her to get away from her target.

"Start running now!" I shouted to the onlookers and the sekirei under Higa's control, with their alien abilities, dashed toward the entrances to the stairs which only took a matter of seconds. Sai and Oriha followed close behind while keeping the mutated sekirei off of us. The knife wielding sekirei threw her weapons at us but due to Sai's strings, it obstructed their paths, making them horribly miss their target.

"Oh I think I'm going to be sick." We were moving so fast and added with the pain in my leg, I was not feeling so good right now. "Hey Toyotoma. Don't be surprise if I throw up all over your chest. Don't worry, the color will match your hair."

"If you throw up on me, I am stabbing you."

"Don't be like that. It will feel all warm and nice and I bet you'll like the color."

"I am really considering stabbing you right now to be honest."

The crowd of people on the floor, less than before since most of them have escaped to the ground floor, were pushed out of the way by the sekirei. Rather than go up, step by step, the sekirei merely started to jump up by using the edges of the steps. Looking around, I saw Kakizaki and Higa also being carried by sekirei like I am right now in order to move faster. We were covering a great distance so we should reach the roof in abou-

"Everyone stick to the walls right now!" The people who were quick to react to my shout quickly stopped their accession and landing on the next step, they pushed themselves up against the walls. Toyotoma, carrying me, basically slammed herself against the wall much to my annoyance and looking around, I saw the sekirei carrying Higa and Kakizaki doing the same.

However, there were some who did not react to my commands fast enough. We watched as they were still in the air, their faces confused as their bodies were pierced with knives. The knives moved so fast that the blood did not spill from them until seconds later when their bodies started to descend toward the ground. They landed with a loud thud that ringed within everyone's ears.

Katsuragi #86 and Shi #40 are terminated. But there is no time to consider our losses.

"Keep moving but go up the steps." If we keep jumping up, we would only be wide-open targets waiting to be picked off. Toyotoma nodded at my command and she started to ascend up the stairs step by step. The other sekirei still alive, taking the hint, followed our lead and made haste up the steps.

I doubt Yomi can catch up to us and even if she could cut through the steps, they were made of concrete so she would have to get closer in order to get us now. She can't move that fast due to me injuring her leg before. The knife throwing sekirei is in a similarly helpless state. If she attempts to jump up to get a better shot, she would get torn apart. She can't throw her knives through the concrete because the only reason her knives could launch before is because of the silver covering at the center of the ceiling, covering the light illuminating the steps. If she were to throw her knives again using magnetism, they would only head toward that panel which we are nowhere near right now. The fourth sekirei is still unknown so that only left-

Crap.

"Watch Out!" I shouted at Higa, him and the sekirei carrying him looking at me with confused expressions. They didn't even have time to react when the high-speed, cloaked sekirei appeared in front of her with her short swords drawn and ready to cut them down. Dang it! I pulled out a pistol with the hand not on Toyotoma at the moment but there is no way I will make it in time in order to save them.

I blinked when I heard a shout and looking down at them, I saw Ichiya, with her long powerful legs, slam her leg on top of the offending sekirei's head, preventing her from cutting Higa down. However, the mutated sekirei did not take that lying down. Before she was out of range, she cut into the short-haired sekirei's legs, making her scream in pain as she grabbed the edges of the stair lest she would fall toward the ground along with the mutated sekriei.

"I'm fine. Keep moving." Ichiya said this with gritted teeth as she pulled herself up so she would not be targeted by the knife wielding sekirei. I saw one of the Higa's sekirei about to jump in and help her but it was at this moment that I felt the urge to look down. While Toyotoma's eyes were on her comrade, I looked down. The green haired sekriei sighed in relief once she knew her friend was going to make it.

However, she let out a sound when a strange sound rung in her ear. "…Eh?" She was even more confused when it made a loud bang, making her slightly lose her hearing for a bit. After a few seconds, she realized that all of the strange sounds were coming from a gun. More specifically a sniper rifle. She directed her attention to where it was aiming but found nothing there.

But that didn't seem right to her. Because that was where Ichiya was hanging off the ledge off before. Time seemed to catch up to her and she looked down just in time to see the corpse of her friend descend towards the ground.

"Keep moving!" It wasn't me that said it. It was Higa. He saw everything yet it only took him a few seconds the unexpectedness of my actions. As I put the sniper rifle on back across my shoulder, I felt my body move to continue ascending the stairs. I couldn't see her expression, her hair covering her face but I expected her to throw me toward the ground because I killed her friend in front of her eyes. Yet, she continued to move up the stairs carrying me all the way. Though I noted that she gripped my waist painfully tight compared to before now.

We reached the roof in under a minute, the sound of a helicopter ringing in our ears. Just like Kakizaki said, I could fit fifteen people. Even more than that from the looks of it. I thought that he would only get a helicopter for himself and Higa but he took the sekirei into account too.

(Play Hyori Ittai Piano - watch?v=7X3Me4qPTY8)

"Zike." I turned my head toward Higa's direction as we made our way toward the copter. He did not look at me but kept his head forward. So did the other sekirei and the sekirei as they made their escape.

"You're fired."

"…Eh?"

His words didn't register in my ears until I felt my body drop for a brief second before being held up once more. But I wasn't being held up by Toyotoma arms. I was held up by her spear. Her spear that is currently through my body. She didn't even look at me as she did the deed as if it was second nature to her.

"…Eh?" I was confused. I was left confused when she pulled the spear out of me, dropping me on my knees. I could only watch as Higa and his sekirei made their way towards the helicopter, intending to leave me behind. I could hear nothing. It was like the sound of the chopper went silent. All I could hear was their footsteps.

It is understandable. From how I killed Ichiya, that gave obvious signs that I knew more than they did. That I know something that they did not. Higa fired me because he didn't trust me, thinking that I caused all these things to happen. By the end of this, he will probably face a lot of questions that may ruin his entire business. So I can understand why he fired me. I can understand why Toyotoma stabbed me when she could have just dropped me on the ground.

I understood all of it because I knew it would happen the moment the abnormal sekirei attacked.

Of course, I didn't expect things to go the way they are. I just expected myself to get fired and eventually betrayed. I'm not a psychic. I'm just using my experience with these kinds of things to prepare for what's happening in the future. After all, it would be annoying if I just froze up if something unexpected is happening.

At this time, everyone was on-board the helicopter and it started to take off. But just as it was leaving, I heard the door slam open behind me. For some reason, I couldn't hear that well but I heard shouting and with my blurry vision, I watched as the abnormal sekirei run in front of me with their weapons drawn, ready to strike down the helicopter carrying Higa and his sekirei, ignoring me completely.

I hate betrayal. Betrayal is one of the few things I actually hate. Higa basically betrayed me with those words. Toyotoma betrayed me with that stab. They all betrayed me by leaving me behind. I could just let them kill them. I could just let them fall to their fiery deaths and watch the whole thing. I could just let it all happen while I just stood on my knees and bleed to death.

I could let it all happen…

I reached into my backpack and pulled out a sub machine gun and the last pistol that I have.

But…

I aimed my weapons at the abnormal sekirei. Three targets. Fourth one is still inside the staircase.

I could just let it all happen. They betrayed me. It is understandable to just sit here and let them all die. But I can't let it happen. I can't let Higa and his sekirei be killed.

My hands shook as I raised my arms, taking all the strength that I had. I was losing a lot of blood right now.

It is not because they are friends. We hardly ever spoke to each other and when we did, it was only for business. I am definitely not friends with Higa's sekirei since I am the cause of most of them being forcefully winged. So basically, they hate me while I don't really care about their hate. So I could just let them die. But I can't let it happen.

I pulled the triggers on my weapons. I am not trying to get killing shots. That would be impossible in my current state. All I have to do is interrupt them. Sure enough, I did, hearing them grit their teeth in pain from the bullet wounds. Some of them went through their stomachs. Others went through their arms and legs. It was completely random. I was shooting like a blind man after all.

The helicopter now flew a distance away from the building we were currently on. I couldn't continue to watch because my neck was grabbed painfully by Yomi. I struggled to breathe as she dragged me across the roof, having no strength to fight against her.

I'm stupid. I don't think like a stupid person but I'm stupid. I'm not normal. After all, I don't smile or laugh at anything. I don't really care much about anything. So it was completely stupid for me to interrupt the abnormal sekirei's attack on Higa. It was completely stupid not to tell Higa everything to prevent this whole thing from happening.

"They are too far away. We can't attack them from here." I heard one of the abnormal sekirei speak and Yomi growled in rage at her failed opportunity at killing Higa, increasing the strength in her grip on my neck. I couldn't even struggle now or move at all.

If I told Higa, he would have not trusted his sekirei even more. He may have even abandoned them or told them to die. He may have left the Shinto Teito altogether to leave the sekirei plan behind. I couldn't let that happen. It was not because I was trying to get him killed. It is quite the opposite really. See, I was told to make sure he would have an advantage in the sekirei plan. If it means that my actions would have to look like betrayal, so be it. If it means I have to be stabbed so be it. If it means I would be seen as an enemy, so be it.

As long as Higa has an advantage in the plan, then I don't care what it takes. Higa still has quite a lot of sekirei under his control so he still has a chance.

Yomi, gripped me over the edge of the building, looking at me with rage filled eyes. I couldn't really stare at her with my same bored ones because I can't breathe at the moment but I tried. Unfortunately, she had seen enough and simply let me go, causing me to descend to my death.

As I fell I couldn't help but close my eyes, sighing in annoyance.

"…Assignment…accomplished." I said with my haggard breath

I simply did what I did because I was assigned to. I didn't mean to look like I betrayed Higa. All I did was fight to complete my assignment. Because I could not fail another assignment. Not like I did before.

Stupid? Yes. Am I going to die? Most likely.

But then again, I don't really care that much about it.

(Music Stop)

I suddenly heard glass shatter right next to me. "Caught…a fish."

"Huh? Guh?!"

My rapid descent toward the ground was halted when I felt my jacket going rampant from the fall being grabbed. No, it felt more like it was being held up. This caused me to stop abruptly upside down. I looked at the person who caught me and raised an eyebrow.

Haihane #104.

"What…are you…doing here?" I couldn't speak with my usual bored tone because I lost quite a bit of blood.

"I got here sooner…than the others and…we were given orders… to save you if possible. The reason is…uhhhh." She attempted raised arm not holding me up at the moment to scratch her head.

There is a problem with this. Haiahane has grey hair that covered her left hair, extending past her chin that looked unkempt. Along with her sharp eyes, spiked collar, tattered black kimono with a sekirei symbol on the left side and the lower part of her body being covered in bandages, it gave her a somewhat goth-like appearance. But these things are not the problem. The problem is her choice of weapons which is her gloves being equipped with finger blades.

Let me repeat that. Instead of fingers, she now has blades. And now she is attempting to scratch her head.

While holding me, her clawed hand though my jacket. Which seemed to be tearing due to the sharpness. Where I am currently a good height above the ground. Where if I fall, I will die.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, don't think about that right now and pull me up." I quickly spoke to her before she could drop me and allow me to fall to my death.

"Huh?" The woman stopped herself just before her clawed hand touched her head. "Oh yeah…forgot about that." With no effort at all, she pulled me up and took her clawed hand out of my jacket, causing me to land on my back. The impact caused me to grunt but I was okay.

Okay because the place where Toyotoma stabbed me just so happened to be the place where Yomi stabbed me with her hand. All she did was just reopen the wound. She was probably too angry to realize that her spear went through me much easier than expected.

Sekirei and their hormones. So annoying.

"You're injured…" I looked up from my laid down position and saw her crouched near the same window where she caught me. Yeah, the stab wound is not going to be a problem but the foot is.

"Don't worry about… it...I'm fine…" Honestly, I just wanted to get back on the train and go to sleep again. I'm really exhausted right now.

"The president told me…to give this to you…he said it will help you with your wounds..." With amazing dexterity and somehow managing to grab something that was under her kimono covering her right breast, she grabbed a package and held it out to me. Struggling to pick myself off of the ground, I sat up and grabbed the brown package that seemed to have a note on it.

_Get well soon. _With a chibi Minaka next to it giving a thumbs up. I am very annoyed ri-

Wait. Others?

"Wait, did you say others?"

"Benitsubasa and Karasuba…we were told there were some powerful sekirei here…so we were sent to collect here in order to collect the terminated sekirei and…where are you going?"

She could only watch in confusion as a new found strength entered my body and I dragged myself toward the exit. Damn sekirei with hormones. I am not dealing with any more of this crap. I am getting out of here before they find me. Remember: last time I saw Karasuba, she almost jumped me. Last time I saw Benitsubasa is when she was chasing me. In conclusion: they are reacting to me. In response: run away.

"Oh yeah, what were you supposed to do after you saved me again." I said this while I made my way toward the exit with my disabled foot.

"Ah…we were supposed to…uhhhh."

I ignored her as she stabbed herself, causing blood to run out of her head. I wanted to get away from her before she somehow started to react to me too.

I also didn't tell her that they would only be able to claim only one terminated sekirei.

* * *

"Why won't Onii-chan play with Kuu?"

"Because I'm tired."

"But how can Onii-chan get tired in a dream?"

"But how did Kuu ask an intelligent question? It must be the end of the world."

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuu" I ignored the blonde-haired girl as she bit my leg while I laid down on the grass, my head face down on the dirt. I have a lot of things to think about so I am really tired right now. Well, more tired than usual.

"If phony fan fad?"

"What?" I couldn't even hear what she said with my leg in her mouth. Also, ow.

"Kuu said, is Onii-chan sad? Is that why Onii-chan is so tired?"

"I'm not sad and I'm tired because it takes great effort to look at you face every day."

I waited for the girl to bite my leg but when nothing happened, not even her fuming in frustration, I raised my head from the ground and turned my head toward her. I saw her looking at me with furrowed eyebrows and her arms crossed.

She would have been more serious if she was older. Now she is just looking adorable to anyone that looked at her.

"Tell me." She simply said. She must be referring to why I am tired.

"No."

"Tell me."

"No."

"Tell me"

"No"

"Tell me"

"Tell me"

"No- you tricked me!"

"Tell me."

"Fuuuuuuuuuu. Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me!" At this point, she crawled onto my back and started to say the same words over and over again in my ear. I tried to plug my ears with my fingers but the little brat grabbed them before I could and continued to say the same thing over again. Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me!" I could just push her off of me but again, I am tired so I didn't feel like it. Although my actions my change soon considering the fact that she is now biting my head while saying the same thing over again.

"I can't tell you Kuu."

Kuu stopped her actions, noticing the grave tone which I spoke those words. I slowly turned my head toward her and looked at her with my bored expression.

"Because you're a kid."

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU"

Have you ever felt a kid bite your head before? Because honestly, it is so annoying when those molars are digging into your skull. Even more annoying when the kid has a bit of sharp teeth in her mouth. Seriously, I think blood is starting to pour out of my head right now and she is still biting me. Is she a freaking mutated vampire or something?

_**3 Days until Ground Zero**_

* * *

Welp. I'm jobless now at the moment. Time to leave Shinto Teito. No reason to be here anymore. It is a good time to leave considering the fact that it is night at the moment. I continued walking like normal through the darkness after getting off of the train. Apparently the stuff that Minaka gave me worked wonders. Though it annoys me a lot, it healed my foot and the wound on my chest. Not enough to say that nothing was there in the first place but enough for me to carry on my life as long as I don't do anything to extreme. The president does own the top medical company in the world after all so it's not really surprising. Though it is annoying that something so convenient healed my injuries when it should have taken weeks and surgery to do so. He must have really went all out in trying to patch me up.

Once I complete an assignment, I move away from the area where I completed it as soon as possible. Mostly to prevent people tracking me down or any people bent on revenge to attempt to kill. It is also because I don't like working at the same place twice for…various reasons. Doing so will only cause things to get annoying.

Now that my assignment is completed, I no longer care what happens in the sekirei plan anymore. It is simply no longer any of my business. Though it might be a problem leaving the city. With Minaka intending to use me to make the game more interesting after all.

Though now that there are mutant sekirei out on the loose, I can't help but say that I have fulfilled my purpose.

I no longer care about the mutant and abnormal sekirei. I no longer care about who is after me. I don't even care that Minaka wants to give me a job or that Karasuba and possibly Benitsubasa is reacting to me. All I want to do now is leave the city and get away from all this alien mess. Though Higa betraying me pisses me off to no end, I kind of caused that myself so I can't really be that annoyed at it.

All I have to do now is grab some stuff from my apartment and then be on my way. It is not much. Just some stuff I left behind like my old phone. I don't really want to be traced back so I am just going back there to destroy some evidence. Hopefully I can avoid meeting with Uzume and Ak-

I stopped walking. I immediately took out my pistol and slowly headed into my apartment.

The door to the apartment was is cracked, forced open, completely torn off of its hinges. Not only that, but the window is broken as if a projectile pierced through it. As I walked through the small room, I attempted to turn on the light, only to find out that the light bulb was knocked out. Don't have a flash light with me. Going to have to use my phone instead. Turning it on and activating the flash light feature, I frowned at what I saw.

Icicles. In other words, Icicles caused by Akitsu. Recent too considering that they have not melted yet.

Looking around, I saw that everything was in terrible shape, The carpet at marks indicting that it was slashed at, the bed was in pieces, the bathroom's was pretty much destroyed, water leaking from it and the tables and chairs were completely unrecognizable. And my old phone...

Gone.

Even though I never kept my phones for too long, they stored a lot of information. Mostly, my old contacts. If people just so happened to find trace the calls and texts then they would be able to find my old contacts, if they are alive, and therefore, find me. Considering the stuff I'm supposed to be doing is mostly secret, there is a chance that my previous clients may attempt to silence me because their secrets have been exposed.

They can't get the information that fast. I still have a chance to get to my phone and destroy it before it can get hacked. I don't know who took it but I'm going to let whoever did make my life more annoying.

Judging by the scene, they couldn't have fought in the room for long. Whoever went after my phone must have met Akitsu and Uzume so there should have been a fight. Either the attacker or the sekirei must have been forced to fight outside the room. After that they must have ran away from here. Going outside, I looked around for any proof of my predictions but found nothing on the ground.

Maybe the evidence is not on the ground, but above. Sure enough, after looking up, I found an icicle jutting out from the top of the apartment.

Bingo

* * *

I ran across the rooftops, jumping across them every now and then, following the trail of icicles along the way. Holding my pistol tightly in case something jumped out, I continued to run to track where my phone is. Uzume and Akitsu must have been forced away or is there something the attacker did that caused them to give chase. They went a really long distance since I've been at this for ten minutes.

While tracking, I noted that the rooftops became more disfigured as I continued further. Concrete blown away. Icicles everywhere. But nothing else was left behind for me to determine an accurate prediction. I can be sure that there was a large battle and it did not end quickly.

It was only a few minutes later that I the trail of icicles led to an end. More specifically, it led to a building.

Higa's hospital. And the place where I ended Chiho's life.

* * *

I walked through the dark halls, no one being at the counter at the moment to stop me. There is no way that the battle was raged in the halls. So the battle must have continued on the roof. I walked up the steps, heading to the top of the building. When I opened the door, I noted that someone was lying there. Not someone.

Uzume.

I ran over to her and put the pistol back in my backpack once there were no signs of enemies. She did not look good. A stab wound in her chest and multiple scratches on her body. She was bleeding a lot and considering the fact that this happened a while ago, she would not live long if she did not get medical attention soon.

No. She is a sekirei. Her fate is already sealed.

Just as I was thinking this, the woman with blood trailing from her mouth turned her head toward me, weakly opening her eyes.

(Play Sao: Heartbreaking Reality watch?v=CeRbHaEDwfo)

"Uzume?"

"…Zike…guh!"

She attempted to get up but I ran over to her and stopped her from doing so.

"This…looks pretty…bad…at least…I lost a lot…of weight."

"Blood doesn't contribute to weight lost."

"Aw…it doesn't…damn. I really didn't want… to get called… fatty by you again… because it's really irritating…you know."

I let her head rest on my lap.

"What happened?"

"Oh you know…we were attacked…we were outmatched…we ran… the usual crap…that people… do in… shows…but just… when they were about…to finish us off…Akitsu…went off… and told them…that she would kill herself…if they didn't let me live…but she…didn't know about all of these…wounds…Hid them pretty well… heh heh…I didn't want…both of us to die…"

"Who did this?"

"You know that… scythe wielding bitch… yeah…she has a lot friends… now…"

"…"

"You know…we were worried about you…me and Akitsu…imagine our surprise…when we found you sleeping on…a train…"

"!"

"What's with…that surprised look for…of course we followed you…you didn't think that we…wouldn't notice that… you would go missing…"

"You knew this…yet you didn't talk to me or follow me..."

"Well…I wanted to…but then Akitsu said…that you would talk to us…when you needed us…"

"…"

"Of course…we didn't know when that was…so we got a little worried…we wanted to go…out and look for you…but…we decided that we would wait until you…got back…of course… that took forever…what were you doing…by the way…"

"…I"

"No wait…don't tell me…" She weakly raised her hand and let it rest on my face. "Ah…I sense that…you did something stupid…yes… a lot of stupid things I sense…"

"…Shut up…"

"So I was right…on the mark…your pretty stupid…arent-cha"

"…"

"But…I can also tell…that you wanted to get…away from us…because you're so shy…heh heh…"

"You're just sleepy"

"Maybe…I am…because your…lap feels really warm… and soft…like a pillow…hey…I have a request…don't worry…It's not too much…"

"…"

"Can you say… you love me…please?"

"…"

"Ah…I'm sorry…that's too much to ask…can you please stop squeezing… me so tight? Then…I have a different...request…can you lay down…for me…"

I did as she told and did not move as she crawled on top of me, resting her head on my chest and placing her blood covered body on top of my own.

"So…I found a phone...here you can have it…"

"…"

_Crack_

"Huh…I thought you needed it…"

"I did."

"Thought so…made sure to keep it with me…in case anyone…tried to get it…"

"…"

"Hey…this is the…last…last… last… last… last… last… last… last last…la-

"Just spit it out already."

"Can you…hold my hand?"

"…Annoying girl."

"Heh heh…thanks…you know…the people who attacked us…asked a lot about you…but we didn't tell them…anything…because no other girls…could have our man…he's our idiot and…ours alone…I said…of course… they didn't take…that kindly…"

"…"

"Maahhh…this is so depressing…the first and only time…I get to hold your hand…the first and only time I get to lay on my chest…and I never got to have sex…what a rip off…"

"You calling me a rip off?"

"No… no….yeah I am…"

"I'm not a rip off I'll have you know that."

"Oh really…I don't see any proof of that…"

"I am not a rip off and I…oh I see…"

"What…"

"You're trying to get me to do one of those last kiss things."

"…Tch."

"You annoying schemer."

"What can I say…a girl can dream…"

"You're an alien."

"I can dream…mostly about me…getting in your pants…heh heh…"

"Why do I have such a perverted sekirei?"

"Maybe because this…perverted sekirei…wanted some ashikabi love… though…I knew it was too much…to ask for…I guess…this is as much as I can get…I really…wanted to see your… expression…when I put your… head in…my breasts…"

"I would have hit you with a Taser for that…"

"Not before…I grabbed your arms…and restrained you…you sadist…then I would say…I love you…I love you…I love you…I love you…I love you… over and over…and over again…"

"Because you're an idiot."

"Because I love you…you idiot."

"Well you...ah"

I couldn't feel her grip anymore. I watched as the sekirei symbol on the back of her neck disappear. Despite all of this she smiled. Probably smiling becasue she got the last laugh.

...

...I should leave before the MBI pick her up. I don't want to be here when that happens.

(Stop Music)

…Wait, before I forget.

I took out my pistol again and aimed it at her chest, more specifically, her sekirei core. Without hesitation, I shot at Uzume's body. My task being done…I left the hospital and left the city…

_**2 Days until Ground Zero**_

* * *

I can't leave the city. Dang annoying MBI.

The day well past at this point, darkness covering the city of Shinto Teito once more. It took all day to go to each of the four roads leading to Shinto Teito, the airport and the docks to confirm that, yes, I am trapped in the city. Now that the MBI has found me, they are not letting me leave anytime soon. Karasuba and Benitsubasa may be the cause of this…no they are not.

I am the one who caused all this trouble. Being a mercenary is annoying.

I sat in a bar, my head face down on the counter. There were few people here at the moment for some reason but then again, it is really late at night. Can't really go back home because it was sacked and can't go back to sleep on the train because if I keep going there, either the abnormal sekirei or the disciplinary squad will find me. So now I am a hobo.

And to think just days ago, I was calling the student a hobo.

"Only one person I know can drink apple juice in a bar."

"I don't like getting drunk and apple juice can…wait someone you know?" I turned my head toward where I heard the voice and I couldn't help but put on a blank expression. "Bartender, put it on my tab."

"Hold it." I tried to get out of my seat but I was forced back down with unnatural strength. "You aren't going to leave without giving a proper greeting to woman now would you?"

"No, that is what I was trying to do. That is what I really want to do right now."

"You're so mean Zike-chan."

"Why can't you just say Zike?"

"Because I like calling you Zike-chan Zike-chan." I watched as Kazehana, the bane of my existence, sat down next to me with a very large liquor bottle in her hand. Kazehana wore a very short purple Chinese dress that shows a lot of her cleavage and also her belly button with similarly colored high-heeled shoes and…nothing else. That's it. No bra and I don't even think she is wearing panties right now. The thing is that she is staring at me with a lustful grin probably knowing that I am thinking that I am thinking about what she is wearing. She has very large bangs and her purple hair is styled in a way that a portion of her hair is done in a ponytail why the rest she let fall across her back. If I had to describe her body…well let's just say that a man would get a nosebleed if she were to lean forward. She has very large breasts, showed off her creamy legs, delicate hands, and-

"A face that is more beautiful than anywhere else in the world oh you're such a charmer Zike-chan!"

I slammed my hand on the counter while I stared at her with an annoyed expression. "Damn it Kazehana that's not what I was thinking."

"Oh?" She leaned forward, showing off her cleavage for all to see. She looked at me with half-lidded eyes with a hand on her breast. "What were you thinking about?"

I gave her a deadpan expression and continued to drink my apple juice. "About how-"

"I have such large breasts! Oh my!"

"Stop it!"

"Stop what? All I am doing is speaking what you are thinking."

"But that is not what I am thinking at all!"

"Fufufu. So what is your answer from before?" The well-formed woman looked at me with a too-pleasant smile while tilting her head. She had her full attention on me and even made sure her seat is turned toward me.

I played dumb. "Um…what was the qu-"

"You know what it is." She said this with a too pleasant voice.

"Uhh… can I go home?"

"No."

"Can I save this question until the end of the world?"

"No."

"How about unt-"

"Answer the question." With every word, she leaned in closer and closer to me, her face only being a few centimeters form my own, still smiling that all too pleasant smile.

When Kazehana left the MBI, she did not tell anyone. Well anyone but me for some reason. I thought she would just say goodbye, but she left me a question that I would have to answer should we meet again. The question is simple.

"What do you think about me?"

This question is made by the devil himself for even the fires of hell have not foretold the difficulty of this question. Do you know how hard it is to tell someone how I feel? Sarcasm is the embodiment of my entire being. If I cannot talk in sarcasm, I doubt I can keep my sanity. Not only that but I will insult anyone and everyone no matter who they are. Telling me to tell a person how I feel about them denies my entire being. It's like a God extended his hand in friendship but then you spit in his mouth. That is how hard this question is. It's like-

"Ow." I was interrupted from my thoughts when the still-smiling woman karate chopped my head.

"Answer the question or I will make a different part of you answer it for you."

She's a devil.

"Um…uhh…well Kazehana…you are…umm...uhhh." For the first time in a while, I couldn't find the right words. It was such a simple question yet causes so much pain.

"Yes?" Her face got even closer to my own and every time I tried to lean back, she would lean closer so the distance between us would never change.

"Well…ummm…" This is torture! Usually I would say that she us nothing to me but we spent a lot of time together in the past so that kind of view has changed. "You are a very…responsible woman."

"…Wait that's it?"

"Yes." I said this with a completely serious expression though the sweat coming down my face betrayed my words.

"And?" Her face loomed even closer and it was very hard to keep myself from falling on the ground at this point.

"Duhh…"

"Okay then. Little Zike-junior will have to answer the qu-"

"Fine! You are a very beautiful woman and you completely betrayed what I expected of you. You always annoy me because you always can push my buttons by rearranging my words. I find it even more annoying that you seem to know me more than Yume first did and it is completely absolutely irritatingly annoying that a woman like you is interested in me. Why can't you be interested in someone else like Minaka? That way I won't have to deal with all this bull! I mean, what is it about me that turns you on? I bet you masturbated while thinking about me! See! You turned your head while covering your mouth so it must be true. Why are you giggling too? How do I feel? You are completely annoying!"

"…That's better. Though I expected more about how I am better than everyone else. A woman can't have it all suppose." The woman shrugged and sat upright in her seat, finally allowing me to sit back up and no longer have a chance of falling on the ground. But just before I could breathe a sigh of relief, my face was gently grabbed and Kazehana's face once more appeared extremely close to my face.

"But I want you."

"…Wait what? Mph!" Before I could react or even attempt to defend myself Kazehana's face finally closed the distance, her lips placed upon my own. Before I could even register that happening, her wings extended from her back much to my annoyance. When they went back into her back, the woman finally let go of my lips with a smack, finally letting me get a breath of air…

Only for her to kiss me once again. This time, her body pushed me down on the seats and her tongue invaded my mouth much to my horror. Freaking hormones. Bartender! Why aren't you doing anything with this drunkard? Her breath smells like alcohol. Don't you turn away from me! You people, sitting on the seats, don't you turn away too!

Seconds past. Those seconds soon became minutes. The damn woman did not stop kissing for seven freaking minutes. When she finally let go of my face, causing me to fall to the ground and hit my head on the ground, my body going limp, she licked her lips to break the line of saliva on her lips. "Ah! You are such a good kisser! We should do this again some time!"

"…Why…why?" I was asking why the freaking woman raped my lips but I think she interpreted my question differently. I can't even feel my body anymore.

That woman is merciless.

"Why? Because you have already shown me your manliness a long time ago. The question should really be why didn't I do this before?" While Kazehana was talking, I tried to push myself up by placing my hand on one of the seats but I lost all strength in my arms and fell back on the ground again with a thud. "But it is also because I could feel that you were very distressed." I tried using both my arms this time to push myself up but once, again, I fell back down, causing me once again to slam my head on the floor and get another concussion. "It's very hard to explain. It's a feeling I have. It comes from the love I have for you. There is no logic to love after all and…ara? Are you okay Zike-chan?"

Kazehana finally seemed to notice my limp body on the ground that didn't even seem to twitch.

* * *

"Don't ever…do that again!"

"I didn't know you were so weak to-"

"Never. Again!"

"I can't make promises I can't keep~"

I massaged my forehead with my right hand, the only hand I can use. I couldn't do it with my other hand because it is currently being held against the breasts of Kazehana. Ugh, she is even resting her head on my shoulder, rubbing against it every now and then. We had to leave the bar due to Kazehana's stunt to prevent any questioning about the sekirei. It is the reason we are walking down the street late at night, causing us to get stared at by anyone who passed by.

"So where do you live exactly? Because I don't really have a place at the moment."

"I thought you didn't like sleeping in a place unless it was moving. What happened to the train?"

"Compromised."

"Crow-chan must have found her one true love. Ah how exciting. A love between a manly mercenary and a bloodthirsty sword-wielder. I can see the flowers blooming for you two."

"I can also see the help that you currently need right now for your head is filled with crazy thoughts."

"But if it's a place you want…here we are!"

"Where is he- ah shit!"

Without caring about where I was going, I let the woman guide me to a place for me to stay. I needed a place that the abnormal sekirei could not attack. I also needed a place that Karasuba could not find me in. These are the words I told the woman and she happily led me to this place. I expected her to take me to some place other than here. In all honesty, I wanted to be anywhere but here.

Izumo inn.

To be perfectly honest about it, this is place fits thing that I described and this is the best place to live in as anywhere else is too dangerous. The problem not lies in the place. No, definitely not the place. It is a large Japanese styled house that I personally find less annoying than any other house. The problem is with the people in it. Matsu is no problem.

The problem lies with the other two. I shot #6 and with Miya…oh God Miya. And I eventually have to tell her that Uzume is dead since she was living here before…

Ah screw it. Suicide mission go.

Wait. I sense some other people. Is that Musubi? Seeing a chance to escape a truly disastrous situation, I broke from Kazehana's grip much to her surprise and opened the door to the inn, sprinting through the wood-floored halls. "Ah I wonder who that could be. My, I hope it's not an intrud-" The woman could not finish the sentence for I finally reached the room where she was at, causing her to stop her sentence once she laid her eyes on me.

Miya, a slender yet shapely woman with fair-skin looked at me with surprised dark-colored brown eyes. She has waist-length purple hair with shorter bangs in a hime-style and wears the traditional attire of a miko that consists out of a purple hakama, a white haori with a sash-like belt, wooden sandals and a white ribbon to partially hold her hair in place.

Looking around I saw #6 Homura looking at me with also surprised eyes but that may change soon considering the fact that he dropped his chopsticks and his hands are currently shaking. He still looked like a playboy with his short grey hair and a white button up shirt along with black pants. I also saw Minato in a green jumpsuit for some reason and Musubi looking at me with her head tilted to the side.

I ignored their looks of surprise and maintained my bored expression. "This food looks good, can I try some, don't mind if I do. Nom, Nom, Nom, Nom." I sat down in the empty seat next to the neet, taking his cup of rice and chopsticks, eating his food immediately.

"Hey! That's mine!"

"Dibs. Bluargh!?" I was interrupted from my high-speed eating when an iron ladle impact against the side of my face with great force, causing me to land on my face with my butt sticking in the air.

"Ah it's Zike. Hi Zike!" The airhead spoke up, completely ignoring the fact that I was hit with ladle with great force.

"What? You know him Musubi?" Homura asked the airhead the question with complete disbelief in his voice.

"Yes. I do. After all he-"

"Hold on Musubi. Let me talk first. Ahem. I was the one who shot at you Homura, I helped Higa forcefully wing sekirei, Uzume winged me, Uzume is dead right now, died yesterday by the way in my arms, I met with Mutsu, blackmailed Mutsu, met with Karasuba and the rest of the disciplinary squad and also I think two of the three of them are reacting to me, winged Kazehana who is standing by the doorway right now, Minaka offered me a job, and now there are mutated sekirei after me who most likely want to kill me in the most gruesome way possible. I also helped Musubi get winged to Minato who were both being attacked by Seo's sekirei I think who I haven't met yet and…hm…wait give me a second…oh yeah a little blonde brat is reacting to me. And that's pretty much it."

The onlookers were stunned at my words but Musubi couldn't help but raise her hand while tilting her head in confusion. "Who's Homura?"

I slammed my head onto the table and passed out, not wanting to deal with the annoying things that will happen afterward. Though it may also because of the scatterbrain's stupid question.

_**Tomorrow is Ground Zero**_

* * *

I awoke to the sound of bird's chirping and sunlight beaming down on my face. Grunting in annoyance, I pushed myself up off of wherever I was. Blinking in confusion, I looked around and realized that I was in a room. An empty one at that with my clothes still on thank god. Okay I'm not dead…that's a start. Nor are there any wounds on me…okay we're getting somewhere. Now to deal with the fireworks.

I hand placed itself on my shoulder and I looked down to see Kazehana next to me. "Go back to sleep."

"Eh? Ah." Kazehana, with her alien strength, pulled me back down toward the bed despite me trying to resist. Before I could attempt to pull myself up once again, she placed her body on top of mind and snaked her arms around my neck. I should also mention that she is naked at the moment with no clothes on. "Kazehana, can you let go of me."

"Go back to slee-"

"...Please."

"…" Without a word, she crawled her body off of mine, sitting up and finally allowing me to stand up. I didn't turn around to face her as I walked out of the room and descended down the stairs of the inn. I went across the dining room and toward the garden, seeing the landlady of the inn sitting down in seiza position and drinking tea. She blinked once she realized she was being watched and turned her head in my direction.

We stared at each other for a few seconds before she let out a sigh and patted the wood next to her, indicating for me to sit down next to her. I also sighed but in annoyance and walked over next to her, sitting down crossed leg as opposed to her seiza position. Blinking as I realized that there is a teacup in front of me and noticing that the purple-haired woman was looking at me with the corner of her eye, I picked up the tea and took a sip.

"…It's good."

"It is. You taught me how to make it after all."

"Hm…"

There was nothing but silence between us for what seemed like hours before Miya spoke up once more.

"You had quite the fever. I am surprised you made it this far without you noticing it."

"I have been very…annoyed lately so I didn't even notice."

"I see…you should know that I had to stop Homura from trying to burn you."

"That's to be expected after all the things I did. I'm surprised he restrained himself for that long. I thought he would burn me on sight after everything that I told. So how is Minato and Musubi?"

"They are mostly confused about what you said but later on they will realize the things that you did."

"Add that to the list of potential people that want to kill me."

"I don't think so. Minato is quite different than what you think of him. Can you believe that he and Musubi fell from the sky the same night you came in? Fufu. It was quite amusing as I was enjoying the night sky at the time."

"…Annoying airheaded sekirei. So are you going to kick me out of here?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are you going to kick me out of your inn?"

"…My husband was someone that would never refuse shelter to someone that needed it."

"…Even though I killed said husband?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"…Your mask doesn't scare me."

"Oh? Then why are you edging away?"

"Your body is too close to me and the closeness is getting to me head."

"…Really. You have no sense of subtlety. What am I going to do with someone who is always sarcastic in my inn? This will only weary this young-"

"*Cough* Thousand year old *Cough*"

"Zike-san~?"

"I didn't say anything. That was a cough so get rid of the mask."

"Really now? What will such an innocen-"

"*Cough* killed a lot of people pffttt" I had to spit out my tea when multiple Hannya masks emitting dark aura appeared around me. "…That was a cough."

"My my. I may have something to treat that. Now where did I put my ladle?"

"I'm cured. The pain in my cheek suddenly stopped any further coughs from occurring."

"*Sigh* you are so difficult to deal with."

"It is because I am difficult to deal with that I managed to survive this long."

"Maybe…"

"Can we get one thing clear though?"

"Ah. I also want to clear up something."

"I don't like you/I understand your actions…eh?" We both stared at each other in confusion when we realized we had completely different answers than we expected.

"I thought we are going for the 'I don't like you, you don't like me' thing?"

"Do you think I am so immature?"

"…"

"Don't answer that."

"Dang it. I had so many retorts for that. So what do you mean by understand me?"

"I understand why you did the things you did before and the things you did now."

"…No you don't."

"Excuse me?"

"If you really understood me, then why didn't you say you forgive me?"

"Because how could I forgive someone who not only killed my husband, but also winged me despite being married to someone?"

"Because someone who really understood me wouldn't bring all those things up."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Because it would piss them off once I say that I don't regret my actions at all and I can feel you getting bloodthirsty. Told you so."

"…Really. You are so difficult to deal with."

"I get that a lot."

"It would be easy for me to understand you if you told me more about you."

"I keep these things to myself to prevent others from following me…like Uzume. Though that ended up backfiring to my annoyance. I pissed off someone more than I thought I did. And now Kazehana is involved. Go secrets and alcoholic woman."

"About that. That power wouldn't happen to be-"

"The same one that we encountered years ago? Yes. Yes it is."

"*Sigh*. Why do these things always happen with you?"

"I wish I knew so I could stop it."

"So out of curiosity, how many sekirei did you help force-fully wing."

"…Directly? None. Indirectly? I lost count. That is all Higa and his secretary's fault."

"What do you mean?"

"I helped them wing one sekirei but that sekirei just so happened to be reacting to Higa's sekirei. After that, they left me in the dark and started to wing sekirei on their own until Homura became too much of a problem."

"You made me quite worried for him with that stunt."

"Hey he didn't get forcefully winged."

"Let me guess, you somehow had a hand in it?"

"...No comments."

"And here I was preparing to lecture you when I finally thought I understood you."

"Meh. Keep trying like everyone else. You'll get there in never."

"I should be angry at all the things you did before but you somehow managed to even it out in a way I can't seem to understand."

I just shrugged as I took another sip out of my tea only to realize that already drank it all. "So what happens now? You aren't going to come on to me suddenly after one night are you?"

"I am not such a weak woman I'll have you know."

"Said the woman who almost cried when she almost killed her husband with her food. What were you saying again?"

"…I can resist for a while."

"But you will eventually come onto me like every other sekirei. The only difference being that it will take you more time."

"I would have put it in a more delicate way but yes. It is something that I cannot stop."

"Ugh."

"So are you to wing the members of the new disciplinary squad since you have to stay in the city?"

"Nope. Dealing with that crap alone."

"Alone? You must be mad."

"Just insane."

"…It's because of Uzume isn't it?"

"…"

"Ara. I must have hit a mark haven't I? You must have been expecting things from her but she did things that you completely didn't expect?"

"…"

"It must have surely been surprising and I wonder how you felt when you held her for the last time?"

"Such a merciless sekirei you are."

"I am just trying to understand my ashikabi…consider us even now that we have both pushed each other buttons."

"I still have the lead though but let's go with that."

"But I can't let you go out all alone. Why, I would be quite distressed if we lost a resident at this inn."

"...I'll let you know that I am holding myself from retorting back at the moment because the comments that I have are things that will piss you off."

"See? You can try."

"Don't push me woman. You are not ready to brave this world of teasing and sarcasm."

"I am quite adept at the teasing aspect."

"Adept she says."

"What's wrong with my teasing?"

"You leave yourself wide open, it's easy to tear you apart, your teasing is so old it's pathetic…don't pout like that. You never had a chance at beating me anyway."

"The fact that you said that with your expression annoys me a lot."

"Taste it. Taste is and enjoy it. You're going to be feeling that a lot."

"Well it is time for me to prepare breakfast for the residents. If you will excuse me."

I continued watching the garden as the landlady walked away. I should have kept looking for I would have been able to dodge the ladle aimed at my face.

"I found my ladle! Could you please bring it back to me? It seems to have slipped out of my hand."

"Oh sure it did."

She always never did like to taste defeat lying down.

* * *

I could have continued on but I really don't feel like continuing right now. Consider it a writer's spidey err inky duhh penny…sense? Whatever. Anyway, the last day will go along with ground zero.

At this point, it may seem like I may not be putting as much detail as I was before, but what I am going for is a style that focuses more on the conversations and allows the reader to visualize the expressions. I need to know how this works by the way so review this.

While it may seem like I am giving Zike an easy harem like other stories seem to do, let me tell you, that is _not_ my intention. The answers to why they act like this is not in the present. It is in the past. So Zike did not end up with Kazehana all of a sudden. He had a history with her so I hope you understand this and don't lump my stories with one of those easy harem story types.

Oh and Uzume died. I was actually intending to go with a different path which will create a lot of emotional impact later on but… I couldn't really see Uzume surviving later on. It's not that I don't hate her. It is simply based on what works and what doesn't.

I think I may have dropped too many bombshells with this chapter. Zike being winged with Miya, killing Takehito, going to Izumo inn and etc. But there was not really much to go with after what happened with Higa so I did not want to add too much and take too long with the story and therefore, extend the chapters even longer.

Though nothing will compare to the single bombshell I will drop in Ground Zero, heh, heh, heh. I have you all fooled. I am playing you all like a piano and I am not even paying attention to it.

Hurray for ignorance...wait.

Well a chapter in the past is next after all this time and after that, Ground Zero. To be honest, I am kind of worried about the Ground Zero chapter. All these connections chapters are leading up to it and it is like the defining point of this entire story. If I screw this up…yeah…yeah I don't want to screw this up. Though I have to figure out how I am going to continue the present after what I will do with Ground Zero. Meh. I will figure that out when I get there and that might be a while. After ground zero and the making connections chapters, I must have surely left a lot of questions as to what the heck is going on. Like I said before:

The answers lie not in the present but in the past.

Well that is pretty much everything. Spent an entire day on this chapter so I am glad that I managed to finish it and post it in under a month.

Anyway, comment and review and tell me how you think of the type of writing style I am focusing on. I also need to know how people think of the abnormal sekirei aspect of the story to make sure this entire story isn't too out there. Out there meaning that 'this cannot happen' or 'this doesn't make sense'. I really need to know because as I am someone who writes the story, I do not know what I am doing wrong.

For those who mistakenly think that reacting to the Disciplinary squad, Miya and Kazehana is making Zike a little over powered...well...

Let's just say I know something you don't. Things are not that simple for the mercenary.


	11. Past: Act 2-6

_**Author's Note:**_

I'm just going to do this at the beginning so it doesn't take away the impact of the endings.

To be honest, I really didn't feel like writing this chapter. That is because I made two mistakes.

The first mistake is making Zike use a hologram in the beginning. There is a certain limit to how advanced technology is. If it is too advanced, it will make people less interested and give the mercenary a chance to fight back. I don't want that. So I will not be using advanced technology like lasers or time travel.

Yume is an exception. She's a living laser.

The second and biggest mistake that I ever made that even now that I am regretting is the use of the mask in the previous past chapter. That was a huge mistake on my part. Not only did I give you the feeling that Zike has some hidden abilities but it also gave you the feeling that he has a chance of taking on the disciplinary squad. I could rewrite the chapter but what's done is done. So let me say this:

**Zike used a lot of explosions when he was wearing the mask.**

That is the only logical explanation for how he made a bloodbath and considering the fact that he is in a military base, it is very possible. It was a good thing that I did not write the scenes where he does stuff with the mask.

Anyway the mask is really important by the way so at least it is introduced now than later. Hopefully I can somehow do this without making this story too out there.

Looking back at the writing I made in the first few chapters was…in a way painful for me. But it helped me learn and refine my character a lot. If you noticed, I was trying to go for the serious and lazy character at the first few chapters. To be honest, I was trying to do a Kiritsugu Emiya and shirou emiya type of thing. I didn't want that mostly because, well, it would literally be a Kiritsu and Emiya type of thing. Not a Zike type of thing. In my defense, I was still learning. So I started to change him throughout the chapters and in my other stories and I am pretty happy with the results…somewhat.

So comment, review, and tell me what you think so I can improve as a writer.

Also bear with me for a second. I figured that Zike wearing a trench is a little too much so I am having him wear a white-hooded jacket instead. It makes him more unique in my opinion and also shows that he doesn't care much about formality or looking cool. You don't see a mercenary wearing a hooded jacket every day…or maybe you do. So please overlook the sudden change of attire. I already changed his appearance in the present chapters. Let's just say he changed clothes while he was in the military base.

* * *

We both stared at each other, waiting for the other to move. While the flames of the base bellowed behind the sekirei, the blizzard continued to rage behind me. She already declared me an enemy while I declared her an obstacle. Number eight settled into a fighting position as she glared at me, preparing to launch herself at me.

"Okay let's go."

Only to fall flat on her face when I started to walk away. I blinked and looked behind me to find the brown-haired sekirei staring at me in confusion.

"…What?"

"Aren't we going to fight?!"

I looked at her as if she was stupid which she sort of is. "What? No. Why do we have to do that now? This isn't some Japanese anime where the confrontation happens. This is the part where we have to get out of here before we get attacked." I don't know how fast the Russian government will get here and I don't really want to find out.

Fight? Here? After we just destroyed a base? Are stupid?!

Ignoring the fact that we killed a lot of people, I would lose the fight hands down in a direct confrontation. She's a freaking alien! She has super strength and can shoot laser beams from her fists! Are you crazy?! I'm not the prince of all saiyans with a scouter! I will get destroyed! Oh sure we are enemies but that didn't mean we had to kill each other right now. I work with enemies all the time. It's all about the timing and the time to deal with number eight is not now.

As I started walking away, I started to wonder why we are even enemies in the firs- oh yeah now I remember. She thinks I'm going to kill her fellow sekirei. Well that is not going to happen right now since I'm helping you. Maybe I might after I finish working for the MBI and I get hired to capture or kill you guys but chances of that happening are really low. Mostly because my current assignment is making sure that doesn't happen with anyone else. So if I get hired to go against the MBI, that means I did a poor job with the MBI helping them.

So whatever. Who cares if she declared me an enemy? I'm not going fight her direc-

A fist suddenly implanted itself in my side, my bones creaking under the force of it. I coughed up blood when I was sent rolling a great distance on the snow. Landing face down, I tried to pick myself up only to taste snow once more as the pain was too great. I held my side with one hand as I glared at the person who did this with a pained expression.

"Ah…were you not ready to fight?" She said that with her head tilted and surprised.

What the hell?! Why!?

"Why?!" It feels like someone not holding back when they hit me with a sledge hammer. She definitely broke some bones and I doubt I will be able to move that much. But that's not the annoying thing.

The annoying thing is that I knew she was holding back. She was holding back a lot.

The grey cloaked sekirei puffed out her cheeks and rested her fists on her hips. "Why should I wait for you to attack my sekirei?"

"Um, because you need me?!"

"But we don't need your body, just your words. So I can just disable you so you can't harm my sekirei." I could only stare at her when she said that confidently with a smile on her face as if she said the smartest thing ever.

"That's just…wait…huh…" I thought about it for a second and I couldn't help but agree that it was the best course of action. Wait I could have done that with her! I slammed my fist in the snow in frustration. "Why didn't think of that?!" I could have done the same thing and I wouldn't be in this mess. How the hell did a scatter brain come up with a better idea than I did?!

"I know. I'm so smart." The scatterbrain nodded her head at the great idea she made up. She crouched down as she prepared to launch herself at me. "So excuse me my ashikabi while I break your arms and legs."

"…Number eight, good job."

The woman blinked when I called her, no doubt confused as to why I am praising her.

"Good job…you became me."

Those words caused her to freeze up and widen her eyes in horror, allowing me to reach into my backpack to get out of this. Realizing the mistake that she made, she launched herself at me but it was too late. The snow in front of her exploded, robbing her of her vision and she halted her pursuit. As the snowstorm continued to rage, the column of snow caused by the explosion finally dropped back down to the ground.

Yet she couldn't find me.

The sekirei looked around for any sight of me. She couldn't find any tracks because of the snowstorm and in her mind, I could have possibly used some abilities to make a quick getaway. But little did she know, I was right under her nose.

No seriously, I am right under her nose. There's a reason why I wear a white jacket.

My head was face down in the snow, my hood pulled over my head as I tried to blend in with my surroundings. Outrunning her is useless because not only would it only take her seconds for her to reach me but also because of the pain in my side. I think she broke some bones as it is extremely difficult for me to get up. Great, I'm disabled. Give me a cane and I'll smack some kids on the head with it.

From my position, I could reach into my backpack and take her out. She is so determined that I ran away or used some powers that she will not bother looking down. But if I kill her, the Russian government will come and pick her up and I doubt Minaka will be happy about that. If I knock her unconscious, again, the government will come and I can't outrun her due to my injuries. Which means the only way out of this is for her to carry me out of here. But she won't do that until she breaks my arms and legs.

See this is what I mean whenever an assignment goes wrong. This kind of stuff always happens no matter what I do. It's annoying. And the thing is that I feel that this is only the beginning.

Annoying aliens.

I slowly reached into my backpack so as to not draw number eight's attention. Grabbing what I needed, I slowly took it out and adjusted my fingers to click the thing on and started to very carefully reach for number eight's leg. It was at this moment that the alien woman finally looked down and we both stared at each other, brown eyes meeting brown eyes. But it was also at this moment that my arm finally reached her leg.

"GGGAAAAAHHHHHHHH"

The sekirei screamed as electricity coursed through her body but I did not relent in pressing the Taser against her leg. Even though she is a super powered alien, it did not make her invincible. Her body is structured much like a human's but that did not make her immune to some of the things that we face. Her legs buckled and she collapsed on the ground, her face turned towards me as her body began to spasm due to the electricity. I finally drew my arm away and no longer caused her more pain.

Our position is awkward in my opinion. Both of us laying in the snow, both disabled and looking at each other. We both had pained expressions but for different reasons. The snow continued to fall on us and threatened to bury us if we did not move.

"Number eight, if you don't want your sekirei to die or for both of us to die here than I suggest you listen." I had her full attention. Well of course that is because I shocked her and she can't move her muscles at the moment but still. "You are going to carry me so we can get out of here _without_ breaking my arms and legs. If you try to harm me more than you already did, I will stun you more and we will both get captured, causing you and the rest of your sekirei to be in trouble."

If we both get captured, she will get experimented on while I go through torture and possibly execution. Of course, I could live longer if I say that I was connected to the alien but that will also make me a test subject. If we both get captured, then the MBI will be on their own and without my guidance plus the information they gained from Number Eight, they can easily take over the organization. Even though Russia will be the first to move, others will follow and it won't be long until every single one of her kind is captured and experimented on. The disciplinary can fight back but they can work around that by starving them to exhaustion.

Number eight gritted her teeth not only in pain but also in frustration. She just declared me her enemy and now she has to take care of said enemy lest her kind be in grave danger. It's like intentionally helping the bad guy out unless something worse happens…though I don't consider myself the bad guy though. I'm more like the neutral guy.

But the thing is, even though she has so much ability, she is rendered to this helpless state and forced to help out the person she hates. Even though she can manipulate light and possesses inhuman strength, she is no doubt thinking that she is weak.

"…All right…" She finally settled on agreeing to get out of this situation without further conflict but it was obvious to tell that she didn't like it.

"Good. It should only take you a few minutes for you to regain control of your muscles." I sighed now that the troublesome part is out of the way. Now we have to deal with the annoying part of getting out of here before we get caught.

"Zike…what do I do?" I lazily turned my head toward her and found her eyes covered by her hair, preventing me from reading her expression. It sounded like a question that she is asking herself rather than asking me.

"What?"

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Kill yourself so you do not cause me anymore trouble."

"…" Not a fan of sarcasm I see. I grunted as I tried to push myself into a sitting position. The storm is calming down at this point, giving me a few of the clouded sky and some of the stars. The crescent moon made the snow that was on the ground glow as if it was magic.

"You shouldn't be asking me that. Do what you want. I don't really care."

"…Why?"

"I just don't."

"…Why?"

I narrowed my eyes but did not give her the satisfaction of looking at her. "I'm not telling you anything."

"…Can you at least tell me why you don't hate me?"

"What makes you think I don't hate you?"

"Because you don't hate anything."

"I hate foxes…and clowns. Stupid, freaking clowns."

I blinked when I heard giggling next to me and looked at her. She had a hand covering her face. The giggling burst into full-blown laughter that is creeping me out right now. "But you didn't say you hated me!" I was shocked when she suddenly smiled and putting her hands on the ground, using them as a sort of spring to launch herself forward and land on her feet.

Few minutes I said. Oh yeah, a few minutes. Annoying freaking aliens. I was hoping she would be disabled a bit longer so I can get close and hit her with a Taser if need be. Now that is thrown out of the window and nothing can stop her from breaking my arms and legs. I tensed when she turned toward me, her eyes still blocked by her hair but not covering her full-blown smile as she started to walk towards me.

Crap she's gone yandere. She went freaking yandere. It's freaking metal gear solid four all over again! I didn't even take out a member of the beauty and the beast unit yet and it's skipping to the scene where they try to grab you! And I can't even run away right now and try to drag it out to get to the photo shooting…not that I want that of course. I don't even have a tra- wait I have a stun gun.

Taser her to the limit!

Once she was close enough, I tried to stun her again but with blurring speed, she grabbed my wrist and made me drop the weapon. She then grabbed my other wrist, effectively disabling me. I couldn't kick because it really hurts to move right now. To make sure I didn't try, she sat down on my lap, unknowingly causing pain in my side. I grit my teeth in my current predicament.

Well…this is going to be painful. Having your arms and legs broken will not be a pleasant feeling.

I didn't know how to react when both of her hands grabbed my face. She stared at me with a completely serious expression. I couldn't do that but stare back at wide eyes, confused by her actions.

Then she kissed me. Her warm lips were pressed against my own, causing yellow wings of light to sprout from her back. The snow around us melted due to its heat as if the sun was out. Even when the light faded, the sekirei's lips still didn't leave my own.

…Hm? No that can't be right. Wait let me close my eyes…then open them…hm…

She's still kissing me…yep. This isn't a dream.

…Wait.

What the hell!? What is this bullshit!? I thought she was going to break my arms and legs like the sadist she is, not get off by kissing me!?

When she finally stopped kissing, I fell on my back from how absurd all of this is and felt exhausted. I watched as the woman pumped her fist into the air and nodded her head as if she is sure of something.

"I needed that. Now I have found a way to beat defeat you and protect my sekirei and help you at the same time."

"Why does it seem like every time you kiss me, you change in a way that is more annoying than what you were before?" I was still in a daze from the kiss but I still asked the question.

"I don't know." The airhead tilted her head and put a finger on her cheek. "I can't seem to find an answer to difficult stuff unless you help me. But my answer to defeating you is loving you!" At that, she pumped her fist into the air again and looked off into the distance with a look of resolution.

While I just stared at her blankly. "What?"

"It's the perfect plan." The brown haired woman shook her nodded her head as if she came up with the greatest plan ever. "The reason you are acting this way is because no one has given you any love and you don't have anything to love. That's why if I love you a lot and make you love me, I can protect my fellow sekirei. This way, I will defeat you my ashikabi and my enemy with my love."

I think I spat out blood halfway through her rambling. "So let me get this straight, you declared me as your enemy-"

"Yep!"

"To protect your sekirei-"

"Yep!"

"And now you think that the only way to defeat me, your enemy, is by loving me?"

"Yep!"

"Even though, just a moment ago, you tried to break my arms and legs?"

"I can't become you, I have to love you so yep!"

I'm going to die. I'm going to die because something is wrong with this alien woman.

First, she acts like she is broken and empty during our first meeting, then she tried to kill me during our second meeting and starts to show more emotions, then she turns into a crying wreck and became angry at my decisions, then she declares me as her enemy and tries to break my arms and legs, and finally she decides that doing those things will make her become me so she decided that the only way to defeat me is by loving me.

I seriously don't understand her. She changed too much. She said something about being broken. Is this what she meant? She keep changes every time she meets with me and becomes even more absurd every single time. It's frustrating really. Usually I can figure someone out and just adapt but she is just making me throw everything out of the window every single time.

Before I could think on this matter some more, I yelped when I felt hands on my back and legs and found myself looking into the smiling face of Number Eight. She's carrying me like I am a bride.

"Carry me like a potato sack. Carry me like a potato now." I did not care that there were some bones broken and being carried like a sack will only cause more pain. I did not want to be carried like a bride by this woman.

She only tilted her head as if my sentence did not comply too her. "But you're injured."

"I don't care. I'm a potato sack so treat me like one."

"No." She pouted at me and gave me a stern look. "If I do that, it will only cause you to get hurt more! I said that I will defeat you with my love. How am I supposed to do that if I hurt you?"

I get the feeling that you planned for this to happen from the beginning. All I did was cover my face and sigh. "Just go before we get caught."

"Um!" Being careful, she launched herself forward and headed in a direction away from the burning base at a speed no human could hope to reach.

(Play Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso OST: 18 - watch?v=WtOOk0IKixM)

As I continued to cover my face, the air and snow quickly brushing past me, I looked between my fingers and noticed that the snowstorm started to calm. The snowflakes started to lightly fall and the clouds started to clear up. Looking up at the sky, I saw the crescent moon and the many stars trying to shine their own light. It was cold but somehow being near this woman is keeping me warm. I looked up at Number Eight's face and saw her looking forward. No longer were her eyes empty, no longer were they filled with hesitation and fear.

When she first met me, she was empty.

_"What should… I do… I… I am broken…can no longer be winged… what do… I do… what… can I do?"_

_"…Why… no… how do I live?"_

When I met her the second time, she was confused.

_"Why… why are you giving up… why are you saying its fine when it's not_?"

_"…Why did you say those words years ago when you could have ignored me and walk away? At least answer me that. I want to know why you gave me hope."_

When I met her the third time, she was distraught.

_"I am in so much pain and I don't know what to do… what should I do? What should I do? My heart hurts… it hurts so much… and I don't know how to heal it…"_

"_"So I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I am so useless. I'm sorry that I tried to hurt you. I'm sorry. I am so sorry."_

When I met her the fourth time, she was more sure of herself.

_"I will stand with my fellow sekirei and protect them"_

_"I will defeat you Zike and protect my sekirei. I will defeat you my ashikabi"_

I think this is the fifth time I met her, but this time she confused me.

"_But you didn't say you hated me."_

"_That's why if I love you a lot and make you love me, I can protect my fellow sekirei. This way, I will defeat you my ashikabi and my enemy with my love."_

Number Eight's bangs blew away from her face as she sped through the tundra, holding me and making sure she did not cause me more harm. Her grey cape blew as if she was a knight. There wasn't a smile on her face and she wasn't looking at me as if she can see something that I cannot.

And it felt like I was alone.

I noticed that the fingers gripping me tightened as I made that thought. Number Eight just kept looking forward without looking down at me. "I'm not going to leave you alone. I'm going to be at your side and help you. I will make sure you find your path but also the right one. If you ever get lost or go off track, I will make sure to guide you in the right direction no matter what.

I will make sure you are not lost my ashikabi!"

All I responded with was a sigh.

This whole thing is annoying. But despite everything that transpired…

(Music End)

It did not rethink about what I said to her before. I will be the cause of your death Number Eight.

That is something I am certain of.

o. o. o.

When I told Number Eight we weren't going to back to the MBI, she very nearly tried to break my arms and legs again. She thought I was trying to run away. Well in a way I was but I had good reasons. Mostly because of the feeling I had back when we first approached the military base.

The feeling that I was being led around like a dog on a leash from the very beginning.

It may sound strange but you don't keep doing assignments without first picking up some things. First, the attack on Kamikura. It may be just a coincidence but the entire incident was off. Why did they send so many soldiers to the island? Wouldn't it have been better to send a small expeditionary force instead of a full army? It is kind of overkill. You don't do that kind of stuff unless someone spread rumors. Rumors that there is something dangerous on the island. The person who caused the rumors is either a sadistic person who likes seeing people get frustrated by failures…

Or someone who sent the army to the island for a reason, fully knowing the results of such a decision. The person who sent them most likely wanted to test out the powers of the sekirei on Kamikura. It's kind of weird actually. The disciplinary squad were testing out their powers but in turn, the person who sent the army was also testing them.

Second, my orders to attack pharmaceutical buildings. I just assumed that the governments around the world were telling me to attack just so they could get the upper hand over the MBI. What I didn't consider was the possibility of there being a third party. The governments simply reacted to my terrorists attacks and took advantage of it. In other words, they didn't order me to attack. But someone else did. Every time I was hired, I met a new face, claiming they were part of a different government and organization every single time.

If you look at the big picture, it's not that hard to figure out. By taking out the companies, it would allow more business for the MBI and therefore gaining them more money and power. In the eyes of their enemies however, they would see it as a threat that needs to be dealt with. In response, the MBI hired me so they could defends themselves from their enemies because while they are gaining power, they are still a new company for the most part. In other words, it is the MBI versus the world basically…well most of the world.

Third, my attack on the military base. It could be that this is my decision and that the person who is causing all of this did not plan for my attack. But let's just say he and bicker or she did plan for it. That would mean that my attack would draw the world's eyes to them and bicker about what really happened while everyone investigates the matter. It would allow for the MBI to have some breathing room but it would not completely eliminate the threats. If I had not done that, the people on Kamikura would have starved and be left open for invasion. By the time the world stops investigating and bickering, they would then blame the MBI for it and therefore start taking more violent measures against them.

The MBI and the world would then have to target each other's throats and start blaming each other.

First, the test. Second, the attention. Third, the breather and the fight.

Someone wanted to keep the MBI and the world fighting each other. The reason is obvious. They don't want any attention on themselves while they do what they do.

I don't want to deal with the annoying final boss when it is too late. I would rather have them exposed and not gain too much power. Though considering how much time had passed, the person must have gained quite a lot. I could have investigated this crap a long time ago but the thing is, I had no reason to. Not until the MBI hired me to help them out. Seeing as there is someone causing so much trouble to the MBI before I even started working for them, that is reason enough to get my attention and try to deal with them.

But even though I have all the evidence to prove that there is some third party, I still don't know exactly who that third party is. It could be I am all wrong and that the people who hired me to take out those pharmaceutical buildings are part of different organizations seeking to take out the MBI.

And this is where my years of experience as a mercenary who deals with annoying stuff at a daily basis kicks in.

The people that I have met giving me the assignments all gave me the information on paper, telling me the Intel in person. Every single one of them is a different person every single time. One was a woman who looked like a model. One was a fat guy who looked like he couldn't take a single step without taking a five minute break. One was a man who looked extremely shady. The people were different to each other in every way. Different names, different skin color, different attire. The papers themselves also showed nothing unusual.

Well except for one thing really. The handwriting.

Every single paper had the same handwriting every single time. I already compared it and make sure it checks out. Which leads to one conclusion:

I'm dealing with a shape shifter. Annoying freaking shape shifters.

But that still didn't tell me who, what and where the person causing this is.

Well sure enough, people like these always get arrogant and want to brag about it to someone. The thing is, they may decide to make the person who hears them work for it for their own amusement. The person doing this probably expected me to come to all of this months after getting hired by the MBI.

But I already figured out the puzzle using the sheets you gave me. Like I said before, I don't really care about this stuff unless I'm hired to do so. Since I'm hired, I'm dealing with it. Sooner rather than later.

Well the puzzle all points to a skyscraper belonging to Jira industries. I am very sure that the industry itself is not connected to all of this crap. Its location, however, warrants much more attention. It's in Japan and it is in a large city surrounded by grasslands.

My annoying senses are tingling. I can feel them going crazy and telling me that something annoying is going to happen.

Number Eight was extremely hesitant about all of this, seeing as how she thinks I'm going to do some bad stuff like with the military base back in Russia. I tried to explain everything to her but the scatterbrain had a dumb look on her face after the first few sentences. So I dumbed it down for her:

'I am bad, but there are people who are worse than me. I don't care about your sekirei. But there are people who want to hurt your sekirei. So I am a bad person hunting down bad people who want to hurt sekirei. Understand?'

I palmed my face when she said she didn't. I basically just said if she didn't understand than go back to the MBI. She _really_ didn't like that decision. She clung to my arm and didn't let go. She even slept on my shoulder during the plane ride to Japan. When I tried to get away, she merely pulled me back down to make sure I didn't leave her. The only time I left her supervision was when I had to use the bathroom. That was the only time I got out of her sight…well I got out of her sight when she was sleeping but the annoying woman wouldn't let go of me when she slept, saying that I was too comfortable.

For the last time, I'm not a teddy bear damn it!

By the time we reached the skyscraper by cab, night already fallen at this point, I could already tell that something was wrong. I could sense that there were two powerful people at the top of the building. I could have called the rest of the disciplinary squad to take care of this but that would take up time and draw up questions. It was a good thing I didn't.

Because I could feel that something is going to happen tonight. This might be the only time to learn who is causing all this mess.

Stepping out of the cab, I started walking toward the skyscraper. There were barely any people around since this building is a bit away from the rest of the city. I looked behind me and noticed that Number Eight was following me with a serious expression on her face, her grey cloak resting on her shoulders. Now that I think about it, she looks kind of like my bodyguard with the black clothing and stuff while I just looked casual with my white jacket, black shirt, and grey pants. I really wanted to do this alone though but judging by the glare I am getting from her, that is not an option for me to make.

The skyscraper had walkways and grass surrounding it so that it would appeal to any passersby. There were also some small trees and benches with a water fountain in front of the building itself but nothing to extraordinary. The windows were all tinted to prevent people from looking inside. The building was extremely tall, easily making it the tallest building in the city. It wasn't structured like a regularly but was rather oval shaped that looked as if it was leaning backwards as it got taller but still managed to keep itself up. The leaning was not too pronounced. At the top of the building was a large antenna that blinked a red light every few seconds.

Sighing and wanting to get this show on the road, Number Eight and I walked into the building…

And were immediately put on guard.

Blood. That was the first thing we saw when we walked in. At the receptionist desk, a man just sat in his chair, his whole body stabbed with pieces of random scrap metal. The force of the strikes pinned him to the wall and I doubt that it would be easy to pull him out. I looked behind me and noticed that Number Eight slowly raised her hand, as if wondering what to do before I shook my head. There was nothing we can do. All we had to do was keep moving. The sekirei looked hesitant but did not bother to question my decision. Walking past the receptionist, there was a hallway on either side of him. We went to the left, seeking to look for the elevators.

I simply pressed a button and we waited for one of them to come down. By the time one of the doors opened, a foul stench assaulted our noses. It didn't take long to figure out where it came from. A security guard, much like the receptionist, was pierced with metal shards through the throat and heart.

I just walked in and ignored the corpse. I really didn't want to wait for another elevator. I noticed that Number Eight was still outside the elevator, looking at me with a worried expression for some reason. I ignored it and raised an eyebrow as if to ask 'are you coming?'

She still had a worried expression on her face when she finally got in and I pressed he button on to get to the roof. These types of things are always on the roof. Although before I forget…

"Number Eight, whatever you do, do not fight whoever we are meeting."

She looked as if she couldn't understand. "...But-"

"I'm not saying this because I don't want to take these guys out. Believe me when I say that I want things that annoy me out of the way. I would rather you fight them and beat them up rather than let them plan."

"Then why?"

Why was I not going to do anything and allow them to do what they want? Why was I not going to try to apprehend or kill them? Why was I not going to try and avenge the people that were killed in this building and the many soldiers who died on Kamikura just to test out the power of some aliens? Why was I just going to let the people who have been the cause of me getting kissed by Number Eight and forcing me to deal with her and work for the MBI?

"Because they're stronger than you. Both of them."

When Number Eight punched me, I knew that she was holding back a lot of power but it was still enough to break some of my bones. Even now my side ache but I got it treated enough so that I could walk properly. There is no question of what would happen to me should she have used all her power.

And now there are two people possessing more power than her.

And now we are going to meet them just to see what they look like…yeah I'm suicidal like that.

We listened to the elevator ding as it continued to go up.

o. o. o.

The wind was blowing hard once we left the elevator, causing our attire to flow wildly. I squinted my eyes a bit when I first felt it but gradually got used to it. As I looked around, the roof was pretty simple. There was nothing but the floor in front of us and railings to prevent one from falling and behind the elevator was the antenna that reached even greater heights than the building.

"Ah…guests…you're here…early." A lazy voice, somehow much lazier than my own and belonging to a young man.

I looked behind me and noticed that there was someone sitting on top of where we exited the elevator. The man had black hair and one of his bangs covered one of his eyes. The only eye available was a metallic grey. His expression was completely filled with boredom and he rested his head on his hand. He just sat cross legged on top of the elevator and was just looking ahead, not even looking at us. His clothes were somewhat similar to my own. He also had a jacket that is unzipped, showing off a shirt that said 'I love teriyaki.' His pants were cargo pants and he had on grey running shoes. But…his choice of colors for his upper body was weird. His jacket is orange and his shirt blue. It looked as if it did not fit his personality at all.

"You look like an emo trying to be happy."

"Ah…yeah…I get that…a lot…" Every time he spoke, there was a pause as if it was taking so much effort just to say some words. The man lazily pointed in front of him and also pointed to the Number Eight who was obviously on guard. "Your woman…can stay here…you go see…the hag…and nag-"

He couldn't finish that sentence when a piece of scrap metal, the same one that killed the guards before, embedded itself into his forehead, coming from the edge of the roof facing the city. However, there was no sign of blood coming out or any sign that he was in any pa-

"…Ow."

There we go.

I just sighed while Number Eight just stared at the man with an unreadable expression. When I started to walk, already finding the woman the man spoke of, Number Eight opened her mouth to speak but I simply gave her a bored look.

"Stay here. I'll be fine." I then looked at the man who still had a piece of scrap metal in his forehead. He still looked ahead and casually took out the offending piece of metal and threw it away. There was no sign of a wound on his forehead. "I think."

Number Eight looked extremely hesitant about this but I didn't give her a chance to voice her concerns and continued to walk.

Even now I can sense the power radiating off the person who I was approaching. The walk was normal for me but to anyone else, it would seem as if they were walking towards their death. I was already used to this kind of stuff so it didn't affect me that much. I was already used to this kind of stuff so it didn't affect me that much. But it still didn't change the fact that the walk seemed like it took more time than it should.

However if the person I was meeting is a clown or a fox, experience, calmness, and power be damned, she's going down.

Thankfully she was neither of these. The woman looked much like an office woman. Black suit with a white shirt underneath. Black skirt and black high heeled shoes. Brown hair that simply flowed with the wind as she rested her hand and head on the railing preventing people from falling to their deaths. I could try and memorize her face but I knew it was pointless. I just walked up to her and stood beside and we watched the city and sky below.

It was I who started the conversation. "What's up hag?"

"…"

…What? You're expecting me to treat this like some boss battle and rage about everything she put me through. Like hell I am going to do that! Disrespect all the way!

"Why are you so speechless you ha-"

"I would rather you not call me the name Ren gave me." The tone was cold and precise. Merciless yet somehow not containing dissatisfaction.

"Then what should I call you hag?"

"Izanami."

There was a brief silence between us. Izanami? As in that Izanami?!

"Doesn't that make you an old hag the-"

"On second thought just call Yuri." She hastily changed her answer but her brown eyes blinked when she realized a mistake.

"Oh…didn't know you went that way. I hope you are not giving the woman I brought any weird loo-"

"Just call me Suzu." The woman palmed her face and pinched her nose in frustration. "This is not how I intended our first meeting to be."

"That's your fault not mine." I just rested my arms on the railing as I felt like this conversation will take a while.

"Honestly, I didn't expect you to piece together everything together so quickly. I thought it would take you a few months before you did and by then we would have already finished what we were doing. I certainly did not expect you to come up here after finding out. Though, if you just waited, I would have killed. You made a wise decision."

"Oh lucky me. What do I get as a prize?"

"Your life."

"That sounds boring. Give me something else."

"I also didn't expect you to be so calm despite our situation. If you would have freaked out or acted in a way I would find irritating, I would have killed you."

"I already got my life once so give me something else."

The woman sighed and looked at me. "How about information?"

I narrowed my eyes at her. "What kind of information?"

"Well anything really. About myself. About my height. About my breast size." Is she a clone or something? She is speaking in a way much similar to my own.

"How about what you are? I know you are a shape shifter and are somehow connected to the sekirei but other than that, I don't know a thing."

Suzu looked completely unsurprised by my accusation that I called her a shape shifter. Instead I saw a corner of her lip turn upward in an awkward manner. But just as it quickly appeared, it was gone. "I assume the MBI has not told you about us sekirei have they? Despite you working under them?"

"That was your fault."

"Oh yeah…hm…don't think I planned for this to happen."

"You are a tsundere at its finest."

"Anyway, you met some of the sekirei, mostly the ones that have already matured into young adults. What if I were to say that there are one hundred and eight of them…ah…please don't kill yourself. I would rather you not kill yourself until after I finish." She saw me trying to put a gun to my head at the mention of one hundred and seven more people like Number Eight. "Now what if I were to tell you that those were all in a ship. A ship that was part of a fleet totaling eight ships, all of them crashing on Earth."

"That's it. I'm jumping." I started to lift my foot over the railing and prepared myself to jump off the building. "I'm not dealing with all this bull."

"Please wait a moment. It's not as bad as you think it is." I gave her a blank look and she gave a rather blank one of her own. "Mostly not as bad as you think it is."

I sighed and returned to my previous position of lying on the railing. This time I also rested my head on the cold metal keeping me from taking the easy way out. "Why is my life so annoying? Why? Why?" Suzu began to comfort me by rubbing my back as I started to mumble at the unfairness of it all.

"There, there…your life will always be annoying."

"You're not helping."

"I know." She stopped rubbing my back and continued her explanation. "We are a species that is on the verge of extinction, hence why we wanted to go to Earth to repopulate."

"Freaking succubus' from outer space." I started to bang my head at this point and stopped as a question popped into head. "Wait I know there are some guys in your species. Why didn't you just try to repopulate with just them?"

"Our species is mostly female so it would be quite a burden for the males. Plus I would rather not do it with someone like…Ren. Although you are not that bad looking and I am quite amused by this conversation. You are a possible candidate for me."

"Freaking succubus aliens." I resumed banging my head against the railing.

The shape shifter appearing as a shape shifter raised an eyebrow at my actions. "Usually men would be more ecstatic about this."

"You don't know what it's like."

Suzu looked up at the sky in wonder. "Maybe I don't." The alien then resumed looking at the city and sky in front of her. "Some of our ships landed safely but some of them did not land as smoothly as the rest. Those ships were my own and the ship that the MBI has found."

Wait a second. "Did you give the MBI a tip to where the ship is located?"

Suzu stuck her tongue out in response and in response to that, I groaned and continued to bang my head. "Anyway while the ship that the MBI possesses awakened more than a thousand years after its arrival, the rest of them awakened over a thousand years before."

"And yours?"

"A little over a hundred years before this year."

I could only tilt my head at the information presented to me. "Great. I'm dealing with an antique now."

"You sure know how to charm a wo-"

"I meant old hag."

"Do you want to die?" Despite this, the woman continued to stare out into the distance, not changing her posture at all. I merely shrugged and then froze as something clicked in my head. Over a hundred years before this year? That was the time when…oh.

"I guess Number Eight and her fellow sekirei are lucky they were found by the MBI. Even luckier that they woke up this year."

"Yes they were. Even the ones that woke up a thousand years before are luckier than my sekirei that woke up a hundred years before." Suzu slightly lowered her eyelids as she begun to recall the memories. "When we woke up, the first few years were somewhat peaceful. I won't say exactly where our ship is for obvious reasons but I will say that it was quite beautiful. Of course, this only lasted a few years. And I had already let most of my kind out at that point. It really is a shame that they fell to…what was it they call it these days? World War 1? Well after the war, there was some peace afterward once more. This time longer than the last, so they pestered me to release them so they can find their ashikabi. It wasn't that long until the Second World War began. I could not do anything for I was keeping the ship safe from falling into the wrong hands. If I left, the rest of my kind would die. And I was always different from everyone else. I could always feel their feelings no matter how far away they are. So when the wars began…it was…unpleasant. From being shot and being tortured to be being raped and defiled. There are so many things a human can come up with"

I noticed that she did not change her tone at all throughout her recollection. But I couldn't help but point out one thing. "You say it like you hate humans for violence but I wonder why you had to leave your home planet to repopulate in the first place."

Suzu chuckled but it was a dry one. "If you just tried to excuse humans for their actions I would have killed you. I didn't expect you to question the faults of my kind however. You are quite bold."

"You are also quite bold for telling me about all of this."

The shape shifter alien, no, sekirei looked at me from the corner of her eye. "The reason I am telling you this is because the next time we meet, I wonder how you will judge me and the actions I have caused. From someone unbiased like you, I want to hear if I was evil. If I was good. If I was just or unjust. It will all be quite interesting. Of course, that is, if you survive long enough."

"Ho? Already skipping to the de-"

"I did not say that I will be the cause of your death. And I didn't say that someone would kill you."

"…" I narrowed my eyes at her. She saw something that I did not see, as if my death was only a matter of time. "What do you mean?"

"You will find out soon enough." The woman stepped away from the railing, stretching her arms without a sound before turning around and leaning her back on the railing along with her arms. "To be honest I do not want you to die but at the same time I really do. It is quite troublesome really. Anyway, I believe I have explained enough about myself to you."

I ignored what she said before and raised an eyebrow? "What about your motivation?"

"Oh please. When does a villain ever reveal all their secrets? That is just spoiling the fun." She let gravity take control and allowed her head and hair to fall back. "I don't think there is nothing stopping you from going against us is there." It sounded more like a statement rather than a question.

"No." But even so I answered.

"Then as the villain I feel I should throw some threats to deter you."

"Oh boy." I banged my head against the railing once more.

"Come now. You shouldn't be so depressed. Anyway the eight ships that I mentioned? It's ranked from strongest to weakest from how the…no I shouldn't tell you about that. Then how should I tell you this." The woman tilted her head as she pondered how to make me more terrified.

"You're part of the strongest ship?" I laid it out for her.

This time she was the one to bang her head against the railing. "I screwed up again. I was intending to build it up and deliver it at the right moment. How am I supposed to make up for this?"

I heard a bang behind me and before I could turn my head, the railing that I held onto shook and threatened to fall apart. The sound of something impacting against it reached my ears and it sounded close. I looked to my left and noticed that Number Eight was there, her clothes torn up and looking worn out. There were pieces of metal in her right leg and shoulder, the wounds leaking blood even now. She breathed heavy breaths and tried to get up but before she could, a foot slammed down on her face, pushing her up against the railing once more.

"Gah!"

"Oh. That could work. But Ren, did you tell her? I thought I told you I didn't want them harmed?" Suzu narrowed her eyes at the lazy man. The cyclops blinked and refused to meet the eyes of his superior.

"Oops…" And that was all he said.

"*Sigh* I think I know how you feel when you said that your life is annoying." The woman rubbed her forehead but suddenly stopped when a thought came to her. "Although…I want to test out something. Ren, do it."

"NO!" Number Eight tried to fight back against the lazy man but he added more force to crushing her head with his foot.

"Wait. Do wha-"

Then the man known as Ren snapped his fingers.

I blinked when nothing happened at first as I stared at him. I looked up and down but found nothing out of the ordinary.

"Congratulations, you can snap your fingers."

The cyclops didn't answer. All he did was point behind me in the direction of the city. I turned my head in the direction and froze.

The city…no…it was no longer a city. Not anymore. There was no sound when it happened. No explosions when it occurred. No screams, no sirens, nothing. It all happened in an instant and it was as if it was always there. The best that I can describe it that it is no longer a city.

It was a wasteland.

With the snap of the man's fingers, a wasteland formed. No longer were there buildings and cars on the streets. The buildings transformed into shards of metal, much larger than the ones I had seen before. The concrete ground streets ground below had metal shards jutting out of them, popping up as if they were weeds. I could see cars being pierced below and buildings that did not transform into metal shards were pierced from below by it.

Time seemed to stop for a moment.

And after a second, everything moved.

Explosions could be heard throughout the entire city. Some of them on the streets, some of them in the buildings, some of them underground. Balls of fire that raised towards the sky occurred at different intervals and it showed no sign of stopping. Even from the top of this building I can hear the sounds of the infernos raging throughout the entire city. And the distance of this entire wasteland was great. Even on the horizon I can see metal shards and fires raging.

I didn't have to go down to imagine what happened to the residents.

Every single person must have been pierced by a metal shard, their bodies being held up by the constructions made by the snap of a finger. Their blood pouring down the pieces of merciless metal. The metal shards could have sprung up and went through them anywhere. Through the head, through the eyes, through the legs, through the stomach, through the heart. It did not matter who the targets were, none were spared. Men and woman. Infants or children. Not even the pets were spared in this merciless slaughter…no…not a slaughter. It was as if it was an extermination.

And this all happened at a snap of the man's fingers.

"Hm…that's some…skilled fingers you got there."

"Oh…" He paused. "Heh…I get it…"

"You're so slow."

"And you're not normal" Suzu spoke up, unfazed by the wasteland she was viewing upside down. "Really, cracking a joke when thousands of people died. I really wonder what the world would end up like if there were more people like you." The woman lifted herself up off the railing and walked a few steps before turning around to look at me. "I bet you feel left out that I'm not doing anything to you."

"Uh, no. No I don't. Yeah, don't do anything." I heard a sound next to me and watched as Ren lifted Number Eight, unconscious at this point, over the railing. Below her were metal shards that would no doubt go through her and kill her. I sighed and rubbed my forehead. "I said don't do anything."

"But I feel like your left out." The woman's blank face continued to stare at me as she held her hands behind her back. "This was just a test but I suppose it could also work as a threat. It would be quite boring if your roles were switched. I find it much more interesting that you make a decision rather than your sekirei. Now I will give you a choice. Will you live or let your sekirei di…Ren you weren't supposed to drop her until I finished speaking."

I looked at him and my eyes narrowed when yes, he did drop Number Eight into the sharp wasteland. "Oops."

Suzu sighed as she closed her eyes. "Well as I was saying. Will you live or let your sekirei…" She stopped speaking when I was no longer there. "…I would have killed you myself if you decided to stay up here."

o. o. o.

I had limited time to get out of this situation. If I had stayed with that crazy woman, I would have died instantly. At least this way I have a chance to survive. Though looking at it now, I realized that the chance is extremely small.

My body started sliding down the slanted building as the annoying concept of gravity started to kick in. I acted fast and reached into my backpack to pull out a pistol. To my left I saw Number Eight sliding down the building along with me. But it would only be a matter of time before the slant would end and it would be a straight fall into the wasteland of shards. She was unconscious and did not move a muscle. I grit my teeth.

We were descending quickly and I only had time to save one of us. Because of the slant, it would allow one of us to fall safely into the building but of course there are shards of glass to worry about. But they are not as bad as the shards of metal looming below. Even if I were to save Number Eight, the distance between us is too great and there is a good chance that I will miss. Add in the fact that the wind brushing fast past me also has an effect on the results and it was pretty much impossible.

It would be much easier to save myself however. Even now I can just shoot below me and I would fall to safety. It wouldn't be that hard to let Number Eight die. And the explanation I would have to provide to the MBI would be completely reasonable and hardly anyone would argue. I do not have super powers or special abilities. I don't have the power to save everyone. I don't even have the power to take on the monstrosities above me. So it is completely reasonable to save myself…

I aimed my pistol in front of Number Eight and started shooting, missing with every shot. I am a great shot but these conditions are just ridiculous in my defense. For some reason, I shot the windows around her. What the hell…oops. Shot her leg too. Luckily she is not awake to notice it. There were only a few seconds left until the slant ends. I could have one for myself and one for Number Eight.

I shot in front of Number Eight.

And I missed the window in front of her completely.

Only one last chance to save myself from a gruesome death. It would be so easy to save myself and you freaking annoying woman!

I shot in front of her again.

…And I missed again.

Damn it!

In my frustration, I threw the gun this time and my face scrunched up in disbelief when it hit the glass in front of Number Eight, shattering it and allowing her to barely fall in.

"Huh…should have done that at first. Can't believe that worked."

The slant ended and I started to descend into the valley of sharp metal shards below.

o. o. o.

When I woke up, I could feel pain throughout my entire body. All I recalled was trying to stop the weird lazy man from destroying this city then everything went black. Every time I threw a punch or a kick, he'd just block it and when I tried to use my powers, he used metal to redirect it. But I didn't care about anything about that. There was one thing that I couldn't find no matter where I looked.

"Zike…ZIKE!"

I shouted his name but there was no answer. How long had I been here?

I looked around and noticed that behind me, it was raining at this point, the grey clouds casting a grim look over the city. But that was not the only thing I noticed. There were metal shards as far as the eye can see and with my eyes, I can see that there were people that were not unaffected by it. I grit my teeth. I couldn't do anything for them. I was too weak. I always believed that I was one of the strongest of my kind…but now I am proven wrong.

But I could think about this later. There was one thing on my mind right now.

"ZIKE…ZIKE!"

I had to find my ashikabi.

The wounds hurt throughout my body but I forced myself to stand up. This was nothing. Nothing would stop me from finding him. I need to find him. No. I _will_ find him. When I tried to stand up, I collapsed but tried again. There was pain in my legs and every muscle I moved caused great pain that I thought was never possible. But I need to keep moving.

I crawled out of the room I was in and started to breathe hard. This was taking up all of my energy but I will not stop until I find him. Reaching the elevator, I leaned on the wall and tried to press the button, it felt like the lower body would separate from my upper one but I pressed it. I allowed myself to relax as I waited for the elevator to come. I would have to do the same thing again.

I heard the elevator chime and crawled my way into the compartment taking a deep breath. Once, again I tried to reach up and press the floor that I wanted to go to. As if to spite me, the button is much higher than before. Blood came from my lips as I tried to reach. But I collapsed without pressing the button. Panting, I tried to regain my strength in order to try again. I reached for it but failed.

I tried again, but failed.

Again. Failed.

Again. Failed.

Failed. Failed. Failed. Failed. Failed. Failed. Failed. Failed. Failed.

I shouted in frustration. I couldn't do it no matter how hard I tried. Even after waiting a while and trying to regain my strength, I could not do it. I couldn't get to my ashikabi. In frustration, I slammed my fist onto the elevator, shaking the whole compartment. I blinked.

What would my ashikabi do?

"…"

I took a deep breath. This is going to hurt a lot.

I raised my hand above me, aiming it towards the line that was keeping this elevator from falling to the ground. I didn't know how high I was but this was the only way to get to my ashikabi. Gathering light into my palm, I shot it above me, cutting the line and making the elevator drop fast. I started to get worried when I felt myself start to float before the descent abruptly stopped and crashing my face into the ground.

It hurt a lot…but not as much as I expected. It was times like these that I was grateful I was durable.

I dug my fingers into the door in front of me and forced it open. Compared to trying to lift myself up, this was nothing. I could sense my ashikabi. I needed to get to him _now_. Gritting my teeth and bearing with the pain, I started to crawl out of the elevator and into the hall.

I felt my consciousness to waver. I felt like all I had to do was close my eyes and take a nap. It would feel great. Then I would wait for the pain to go away. But I didn't want to sleep. I never wanted to sleep unless my ashikabi is at my side. I didn't care if sleeping would relieve me from this pain. I didn't even care if it would allow me to regain my strength. I need to find Zike.

Before I knew it, I was outside, the rain impacting against my skin. It felt cold and drenched my clothes.

"ZIKE…ZIKE!"

I shouted out his name hoping he would answer but he didn't. I crawled away from the entrance of the building. He was so close. I can feel it. I wonder if he is just testing me. I bet he just let the guy beat me up. It doesn't matter what he did. As long as he is safe. It was my fault that I am in this situation. It was my fault that I started the fight. I should have listened to my ashikabi and refused to fight…but…but…

It felt…it felt like if I did nothing…it would be the same as abandoning my sekirei…I knew it was a hopeless fight…but I couldn't accept it no matter what.

But as long as my ashikabi is unhar…!

I froze…

"No…no…no….no, no, no."

In front of me I saw the arm of my ashikabi behind a metal shard.

And it was not clean at all.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

I crawled with all my might toward it. My body was telling me to stop but I didn't want to. I could feel more blood pouring out of me but it didn't matter. Not until my ashikabi is in my arms and in my sight!

I crawled and crawled and crawled and crawled and crawled and crawled.

And then I stopped.

(Play Fate/Stay Night – Ever-present feeling watch?v=PjTixX43liw)

I crouched beside my ashikabi as I looked at him with wide eyes. His arm that I saw was not only covered in blood but torn apart. His stomach was pierced by a shard and even now blood was coming out of his wounds. I can see scratches all over his body. His eyes were closed.

And he wasn't moving.

"…Zike."

I carefully tried to remove the shard from his stomach and used my powers to burn the wound to stop the bleeding.

But he still wasn't moving.

"…Wake up."

By the time I finished closing the wound on his stomach, I removed my tattered cape from my back and tried to close his arm. I could already see a puddle of blood beneath it. If he has been out here for a long time…

"Wake up."

I tied my cape as tight as I could on his arm and the bleeding stopped. Then I looked at him with hope.

He still didn't wake up.

"Wake up."

I lifted him up from his back and brought his head on my lap and leaned down.

He still didn't wake up. His eyes were still closed.

"Please…please….please…wake up."

My face blocked his face from the rain but there was still water dripping on him. Ah…those are my tears…am I crying?

"Please…Zike…wake up!"

He still didn't wake up. And I still didn't stop crying. I stared at his face as my tears came pouring down.

"Please…you have to wake up. Please…I need you. Don't you want to fulfill your promise? So wake up! I'll help you! I will stand by your side so please wake up! PLEASE! Even though you make stupid decisions, even though you only care about yourself, even though you want to do things alone, please, I need you! Wake up! I remember the first word you said. You told me to live! You hear me? You told me to live! Don't you dare tell me such a thing when you can't even do it for yourself so wake up! Wake up! I remember the time you fed me when you could have kicked me out. You had no reason to take care of me but you still did so please wake up! I need you to take care of me now…no I need to take care of you now! Wake up! Please! At least move! At least insult me like you usually do! Just tell me if your…no…you will wake up! So please! Please…wake up! Even though I said you were my enemy, I love you. I love you a lot! I love you so much that I can't stand the thought of being separated from you! So please, I love you so wake up! Wake up! I'm sorry for trying to hurt you! I'm sorry for punching you! I'm sorry for almost choking you when we first met! I'm sorry I'm so useless! I'm sorry I didn't listen! I'm sorry I'm such an idiot! I'm sorry I didn't try to stop Karasuba from hurting you! I am sorry for dragging you into this! I'm sorry for everything so please…please! Wake up! I loved every moment I spent with you no matter what I said! So please wake up and punch me in the face like you usually do! So please wake-"

(Music Stop)

My face jerked to the right when I felt something impact against it. But I felt hope. I grabbed it and didn't let go. I stared into his brown eyes as I continued to shed tears.

"Shut…up…you…annoying…woman…"

I never felt so happy in my life.

But then I felt his strength leave his arm.

I continued to stare at him and every time he blinked, he blinked slowly.

"Why…can't you…just let…me sleep…just let…me sleep…you annoying woman…"

"No…not until I'm next to you…"

"You're next…to me…now…you…idiot…"

I picked his head up and tried to lift his back up but I couldn't. I was drained. But I still stared at my ashikabi.

"Please… stay with me. I need you."

"…You know…I think this…is the first time…nah it…feels like the second time…I've been in…a situation…like this…where I'm dying…and someone…listened…I usually deal…with this crap…myself…ugh…I feel…like a woman…when…I look into…my underwear…it better…still be…there or…I will…freaking…destroy the…world…"

I couldn't find anything to say. What was I supposed to say?

"Hmm…death words…meh….I got nothing…bleh"

Then he closed his eyes and died.

"ZIKE!"

He opened them again. "Just kidding…stop screaming…into my ear…woman…"

He didn't say anything else. All we did was just sit there. I held his head while his breathing got weaker and weaker every single second. I couldn't do anything about it. I did the best I could but even that wouldn't be enough! What was I supposed to do? How am I supposed to save him?! Please! What am I supposed to-

My thoughts ceased when I felt a hand on my cheek. It wasn't a fist this time but a palm.

"You know…its annoying…to call you Number Eight…all the time…so I think…you need a name…what about idiot…no…whatever name…I choose…for you…you will…always be an idiot…what about scatterbrain…no…same thing…only better…annoying alien…Jinko...Kamiyo…Izanami…old hag….Kuriyo…nah…has to be something…that I will…always find annoying…ah…wait…now that I…think about it…whenever…I find…you…it always…seems to be…a dream…to me…it's extremely…annoying…more than anything else…I think…there is a name…for that…Yumo…no…Yuma…no…crap…come on…I need to…think…I can't…just give up…like this…Yu…Yu…Y…ah…now…I remember…"

He just looked at me and kept his hand on my face. His expression was no longer bored or lazy like before. No longer merciless or cold. No longer sarcastic or mischievous. It was like his face was innocent…almost childlike as he looked at me…he didn't look at me as if he was annoyed or irritated…nor did he look angry or sad…He wasn't happy and there was no smile on his face but…

"Yume…Yume…I think…that is a better…name for you…don't you…think?"

When I look at it, I can't help but want him to keep that face for a long time.

"Yes…I love it…I love it…I love you…so please…so please…!"

I felt his hand drop and his eyes close…

He was not trying to trick me…because he didn't open them again…

Then I screamed and cried.

And I felt everything went black.


	12. Extra 1

No this story isn't dead nor am I in case you were wondering. I just started working on some other stories since this story is so far ahead. This chapter is an extra in case you didn't know so I apologize if I got your hopes up in expecting this chapter to be a part of the main story. I'm busy this school year due to it being my senior year so it is another reason why I haven't updated this story in a while.

For me Uzume is without a doubt one of my favorite sekirei. Not favorite because I usually like a lot of them but Uzume more than most. Her tomboyish personality and the things that she is willing to do to protect what is dear to her is something that sort of clicked for me. She is similar to Zike in a way, balancing a normal life for the dangerous one except one does not really care while the other does not like it at all. She was one of the first sekirei I wanted Zike to have.

But unfortunately, she was not a sekirei he could not keep.

Despite me liking her so much…I just couldn't see her appearance in the future chapters. It was like it was not her place to be there. I tried to think of ways to include one of my favorite sekirei in the future chapters, wanting her to interact more with Zike more. But I could not find any way to, especially down the path the mercenary is heading. Even though she was one of my favorites, she had to be the first to die. I did not want her to die but there was no other way else this story would be too naïve. Zike is not one to have a happy ending. His whole life is an example of it.

Well today I am being naïve.

This is basically a chapter of what could have been but what cannot be. I may be a bit awkward in writing this but like I have mentioned before, I am still a beginner at writing stories.

* * *

Zike sat at the table in his apartment, drinking tea under a kokatsu mat and sighing in contentment. He was not doing anything in particular except drinking tea and thinking. After that he is going to check on his equipment and go to sleep to wait for the next day. It was Christmas which means it was one of the days he had a day off. But vacation is something unfamiliar to the mercenary. He would be moving to do whatever Higa assigned him to day but even the CEO celebrated the holidays and took days off. Lucky for the rest of the sekirei.

The mercenary is a boring person if left alone. He is very practical and would rather do business than pleasure. If he is not doing anything that contributes to his assignment, he would rather prepare and wait until it is time to do so. That is just how he is. He doesn't watch T.V., play games, or go out unless it is either for survival or assignments.

However, that is not to say he does not know how to experience such things. More like someone has to drag him off his ass to make him experience it. Because he's lazy and boring like that. Which a certain someone is going to change.

"Merry Chistmas- wait what the hell?!" Uzume kicked open the door to the room but couldn't accept the fact that her ashikabi was sitting there doing nothing like a grandpa. "Why don't we have a Christmas tree?! Where are my presents?! The lights, the games, the money?!"

The mercenary took a sip of his tea before giving her a deadpan expression. "Why would I buy all those things? They are just a waste of money."

Uzume glared at him, walking over and sitting across from him under the kokatsu mat. She crossed her arms and gave him a stern look. "They are representations of the holidays which we should celebrate for fun! Don't tell me you're poor?"

"I have more than enough money."

"Don't lie to me you hobo. How much do you have?" She smirked as if the battle was already won.

The mercenary gave her a bored look and raised five of his fingers.

"Hah! Five yen? That's all you have?" She was about to burst into a laughing fit before Zike interrupted her.

"Start adding zeroes."

The brown-haired sekirei raised an eyebrow. "Five hundred?"

Zike shook his head.

"Five thousand?"

Shake.

"Fifty thousound?"

Shake.

"Then how much?"

"Five billion." Despite the fact that Uzume was sitting down, she somehow managed to trip and her face planted onto the mat. "Don't dent the mat." The mercenary had to lean back when Uzume suddenly leaned in a little too close to his face.

"If you had that much-"

"In Japan. I have different accounts in different countries so that's only a fraction of the total amount."

"If. You. Had. That. Much." Uzume's body was trembling in rage at this point. "Then why don't you spend it instead of buying cheap places like this." She spread her arms, gesturing to the plain and old apartment that they lived in.

"Because I don't want to be spoiled. Power corrupts. Absolute power absolutely corrupts. So don't use the power to make sure you don't get corrupted." It is one of the reasons why the mercenary is hired so much and one of the reasons Uzume reacted to him in the first place. The sekirei looked at the ceiling to imagine her ashikabi living a rich life but just couldn't picture it. This kind of thing suited him as much as she hated to admit it.

The pony-tailed sekirei sighed and set her elbow on the table, looking at her ashikabi with only one eye. She watched as he simply looked and drank his tea. It was just too…boring for her. What she expected from her ashikabi was fun and excitement. Love more than anything else. But whenever she sees her ashikabi doing nothing when he is not on an assignment, she can't help but think that she got the wrong man. But reactions never lie. That didn't mean she wasn't going to make the most out of it. Like hell their relationship is going to be boring.

She set both of her elbows on the table and smiled at him like a child, making Zike raise an eyebrow at her unusual actions. "So…do you want to go out?"

"Why?"

"Because it's Christmas!"

"I don't want to."

"But come on!"

"I don't want to."

"But I want to."

"Then go by yourself." Uzume resisted the urge to palm her face at how dense he is. Looks like she had to work for it.

"But I want to go with you."

"Uh-huh. The door's that way."

"At least let my Christmas present be spending time with you. I want nothing else but that."

"We can spend it here sleeping." Zike regretted his words soon after when Uzume gave him a sultry look.

"I like the sound of that." She slightly pulled her collar, showing off her larger than average breasts. "In fact, that sounds great."

"I will kick you out if you keep that up."

"You're so mean." At this point, Uzume started to roll back and forth on top of the mat causing Zike's eye to twitch in annoyance. "I want to go out with you! I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna!" After continuing to say the same thing over and over again, the black-haired man palmed his face and sighed. She is not going to stop unless she gets what she wants. So much for peace and quiet.

"Alright, alright." Uzume stopped her childish complaining and looked at her ashikabi with wide eyes. "We'll go." He could just perform the check after they get back. It shouldn't take much time and he didn't have much else to do.

"Yay!" Uzume ran back into her room to grab a coat to keep warm and grabbed the arm of her ashikabi, dragging him out the door much to his annoyance. He didn't need to get a coat because he's always wearing his jacket. It was after they stood out of the doorway of their apartment that Uzume stopped. "Ah."

The mercenary raised any eyebrow. She was excited just a few minutes ago. "What is it?"

His sekirei looked at him and innocently tilted her head. "What are we going to do?"

With a tick mark on his forehead, Zike did not hesitate to punch her on top of the head, causing her to yelp in pain.

o. o. o.

"Why are we here instead of going out and doing fun stuff? I want to do fun stuff."

"Because we can't go out on an empty stomach. I don't want you complaining about being hungry once we are out and walking." Uzume pouted in her seat as she sat across from her ashikabi, mumbling about meaningless things.

The two sat in a restraunt that was packed with people that likely had the same mindset as Zike with having their stomachs filled before going out. Japan doesn't celebrate Christmas as a holiday so most schools and businesses work which is the case for this restaurant. The building was loud and had kids shouting everywhere but it was one of the few places that did not have wait times. Uzume almost shrieked in surprise when a little kid lifted her skirt for the world to see. He ran away before she could do anything though. The sekirei slammed her chin on the table and sighed in annoyance.

"I don't like this place."

"It was your idea to go out. So don't complain."

"Fine…what do people order on Christmas?" The girl lazily picked up her menu and set it up in front of her without lifting her head.

"Usually cake and fried chicken."

"Then let's get that!" She chirrped happily and as soon as the waitress came by, the both of them put their orders in.

However, once they got their meals, she stared in shock at both the mercenary and the food in front of them.

Due to her being a sekirei, she needed to intake more food than the average human. So much it is abnormal. Which is the reason she ordered more than ten plates of food. While the ten plates were closer to her side, in front of the mercenary sat a bowl of ramen. She looked at her ashikabi with a betrayed look but he ignored it and picked up his chopsticks, preparing to eat his meal. The pony-tailed sekirei pouted in frustration but then she heard voices around her talking about her.

"She's so fat. She's going to eat that."

"Chicken and cake? Usually you eat that at home right?"

"Even though she's hot, why is he going out with a girl like her?"

"Ten plates of food…wow."

"Not even I could eat that much food."

With each voice she heard talking about her, she trembled, breaking the chopsticks that was in her hand. Unfortunately, Zike did not notice and was focused on his own food. "Itadakima-"

"ITADAKIMASU!" The mercenary blinked. Before he could figure out what was happening, he was pushed to the side by his sekirei and took his chopsticks, eating the ramen that he ordered with tears of embarrassment in her eyes.

"Oi, that's my food! Eat your own!" He started to push her head away only for Uzume to do the same for his own.

"Shut up! You embarrassed me in front of everyone so I'm taking your food away!"

"Embarrassed? How in the hell did I embarrass you pig?!" He gasped in surprise when she started to eat his food faster at the insult. "That's mine you freaking alien!"

It was only ten minutes after fighting over the food that they were both kicked out of the restaurant when a plate of food flew into the face of the manager who attempted to calm them down.

o. o. o.

"It's Santa!"

"Hm."

"I've only heard about him and seen him in storybooks so this is my first time seeing him in person."

"Hm."

The mercenary had been grunting at his sekirei's questions for twenty minutes now as they stood in line to have a private session with santa. Not really private since everyone was watching. Kids of young ages stood along with their parents so the two of them were the only ones that stood out, especially since Uzume kept on bouncing up and down. After they got kicked out of the restaurant, the pony-tailed sekirei dragged him over so they could talk to the man with the white beard.

While his sekirei continued to bounce up and down, a different kind of thought went through the mercenary's head.

'The real santa just emailed me telling me he can't come to have our annual battle over whether I am naughty or nice. Fat bastard. Saying that he is busy this year. He just wanted to skip out so he could have some alone time with that grandpa.' The mercenary looked at the bouncing girl next to him and then looked at the santa that they were waiting for. '…Meh. Same thing. Naughty for this year it is.'

"Hey Uzume."

"Yeah?" The mercenary had to lean back when she brought his face a little too close to his own. He placed his hand on her face to push it away.

"You should know something."

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to keep it secret from you but…"

"Yeah?"

"I just can't let you go on like this."

"Yeah?" The fact that she kept jumping up and down, repeating the same answer over and over again did not make the mercenary feel bad at all about what he was about to do.

"That Santa over there is fake." Uzume's face fell and she looked back and forth between him and the Santa in shock.

"What?!"

"Yep, a total fake." Zike nodded. It was a good thing it was true or this wouldn't have worked out so well. Now for the sarcasm. "There are millions of Santas around the world doing this kind of thing and giving children false hope. I have seen a lot of children cry to this fat bastard's scams. Every single year I see their tears and their parents trying to cheer them up, cursing the man in the red suit every year."

"But…but…why hasn't he been stopped?!" Uzume grabbed the mercenary's shirt and pressed her head onto his chest, believing every single word that came from his mouth. Zike patted her back to comfort her shattered dreams.

"It's because he has amassed so much power over the years that he has the power to make kids and parents forget. Every year, I see children cry and parents shout at the unfairness of this cruel holiday." The mercenary gritted his teeth and looked away in mock pain. "It's disgusting."

"How can we stop him? How can we stop this madness?"

"The only way to stop it is to walk up to him, take off his beard and say that he is a fake to the world. Only then will this chain of misery be broken from the world and families can live happily ever after. Ugh!" The mercenary collapsed onto the ground, holding his heart in pain and taking larger breaths than usual. Uzume kneeled down beside him in shock in fear.

"ZIKE!" She didn't know what to do. Had Santa's power affected her own ashikabi?! Is he this strong?!

"It's…it's too late for me. Go Uzume. Save me and the families. Protect them from the misery to come."

"But…but I can't leave you."

"Uzume!" Zike shouted at his sekirei which got a weird looks from the people around them. "You have a task to fulfill that I cannot do in my current state. You're the only one who can do this! Now go!" The mercenary pushed his sekirei away who was crying at this point as she ran to do what her ashikabi told her to do.

While she did this, the mercenary stood up and brushed himself off. Whistling as the chaos was about to unfold. "Five, four, three, two, one."

"THIS SANTA IS FAKE! DO NOT FALL FOR HIS LIES!"

The mercenary continued to whistle as the kids around him started to cry in disappointment. He watched as Uzume realized what she did and put the white beard back on the man whose job is to be Santa, bowing in apology. The black-haired man was not worried at all when she started to stomp towards him with her face a deep shade of red. When she finally stood in front of him, trembling and one of her eyes twitching, Zike put his hand on her shoulder and looked at her proudly.

"Good job Uzume. Even though this is only one of the million Santas in the world, you have done this area a great duty. You are a hero to all."

The mercenary was punched in the stomach, causing him to collapse onto the ground flat on his face. "Worth it." He did not regret it even when his sekirei started to drag him away from the scene.

o. o. o.

"So what else should we do Zike?"

"Why are you asking me when you keep dragging me aro-" The mercenary couldn't finish his words as he was hit in the face with a snowball.

"Zike!" In only a few seconds, Uzume transformed her casual outfit into her battle outfit, white linen sheets circling around her. The kids who did the deed awed in amazement even when the sheets started to head towards them, seeking to avenge their master's ashikabi. It was only when the mercenary put a hand on her shoulder that they stopped.

"Stop. It's just a snowball." There are limits to how far one could stray from the rules as much as the mercenary didn't want to admit it. He didn't want to get phone calls from the MBI about dead children on a holiday. "People usually throw snowballs at each other for fun. No one gets hurt…except my pride."

"Then doesn't that mean we can hit them back?" The merceanry blinked when his sekirei's eyes were covered by shadows and the white linen sheets that she controlled started to make giant snowballs which they lifted into the air. The kids who threw the first shot dropped their snowballs and fell on their butts in fear at what is to come.

"No Uzume. You can't do it like that." The kids sighed in relief when the man calmed down the super powered woman. "You have to make them bigger. They hurt my pride and it is not an easy thing to fix."

"Roger that my ashikabi. Your pride will be avenged."

"Good my sekirei. I have trained you well."

Then Uzume threw the giant snowballs without mercy.

When the kids returned home, they would speak of the trauma they now possess that was similar to a soldier's trauma. From that day onward, the legend of the naked sheet wearing lady possessing balls of destruction spread around Japan.

o. o. o.

Zike and Uzume walked through the park. As they were talking, Zike suddenly stopped once he sensed something was wrong. Uzume stopped with him, noticing that he was being on guard and alert. Her eyes scanned the park along with his to find the threat but could find nothing out of the ordinary. She blinked when her ashikabi started walking and she quickly ran to catch up with him. When he finally stopped, he stood in front of a woman sitting on a bench who looked at him curiously.

The woman possessed long blue hair that went half-way across her back and icy blue eyes. Her light blue kimono was the only thing covering her light blue body. She was thin yet did not look scrawny at all, somehow appearing balanced. "How can I help you?" She smiled at the man but he was not fooled by her innocent behavior. The bench that she is sitting on turned to ice along with the ground beneath her. Even the air around them turned colder than usual the closer he got to her.

"You're a Yuki-onna." Both Uzume and the woman blinked at the name but for different reasons. "What are you doing here?"

The blue skinned woman blinked again before tilting her head in curiosity. "If I may ask, why do you care?"

"Because bad things happen to me no matter what I do on a daily basis." He deadpanned.

"Oh…my condolences." The woman did not know how to respond to the man's statement.

"Nothing can help me. Now what are you doing?"

The woman smiled pleasantly like a mother smiling at her child. "Don't mind me. I am just waiting for my husband?"

"Husband."

"Yes. He should be coming back by now after his trip overseas."

"…Does the area seem sort of different to you?"

"I do admit that there are a few things that I have never seen before. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. Have a nice day."

The woman bowed when he and his sekirei started to walk away. "Be safe in your travels."

It was only when they got a distance away that Uzume brought up the question that has been going through her mind ever since they met her. "What was that?"

"A Yuki-onna. A youkai of Japanese folk-lore." The mercenary sighed and scratched his head. Looks like things would not be crazy as he expected. "They can control snowstorms and make travelers lose their way. There are many interpretations of them but the ones I have met are the more violent ones. That was the first time I ever met one that is docile."

"What?" Uzume waved her hand and chuckled. "Monsters aren't real."

"Said the alien."

Uzume did not know how to retort to that and changed the subject. "So why did you ask that question?"

"Hm?"

"About if the area seemed different from her?"

The mercenary looked up at the sky, pondering his answer. It was just at this time that it started to snow. "Monsters at this point are a rarity but most of them are still lingering to the past that is gone. It is not surprising in my case if I come across a monster holding grudges or possessing lingering regrets."

"Eh?" Uzume looked at her ashikabi in curiosity. "So what was her case?"

"Refusal to accept that her husband had died."

Zike did not notice when Uzume froze in her tracks.

"She is waiting for her husband that will never come back. She may only appear in the winter or just on this holiday but I don't really care. Most likely it was back in the days when Japan was still at war so her husband must have died in battle while she waited behind. Either that or her husband was a monster and was hunted down by humans. Either way, there is a very good chance that he is coming back since it seems like she does not recognize this peri-"

The mercenary did not finish his words when Uzume slammed into his back, wrapping her arms around him.

"Uzume?" She did not respond other than tightening her grip around his waist. He raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out what was wrong with her before realizing it. After he did, he sighed and shifted her grip so her head was planted on his chest instead of his back. He then lightly knuckled her forehead. "What are you worried about? I won't die that easily. Do you really think I'm so weak?"

"But…but it doesn't change the fact that you are doing dangerous things…that your life is in danger!" Zike just sighed and punched his sekirei in the head harder this time. "Ow! What the hell you jerk?!"

"You're the jerk here. Assuming I'm going to die easily. What are you, twelve?"

"I'm not twelve! I'm in my twenties and worried about my stupid ashikabi!"

"Oh? You seem more like a little girl to me. Are you sure you don't want to play with your dolls? Why don't you play tea with your fellow sis…uh oh." The mercenary was too late to realize the danger as his sekirei donned on her white linen sheets, making giant snowballs. He shivered when she gave him a cold look with shadows covering her eyes.

"My, what a stupid ashikabi I have. It appears he has a lot to learn."

"Not as much as you do doll girl." He dodged the snowball that his sekirei threw at him and shouted when she crashed into him without mercy. She already realized that he was trying to cheer her up. Still didn't change the fact that she is going to beat him up for the insults though.

Thus an epic battle between sekirei and ashikabi unfolded. The story would be told at another time.

o. o. o.

Night had fallen and the snow started to lightly fall on the Earth. The lights around the two blinked on the various decorations spread out throughout the city. Uzume gazed at all the lights in amazement. It was the first time she has seen such things after all. "Wow. So pretty."

"Meh."

They both started to walk lazily through the city at this point, their day spent. Arcade games, ice cream, and Uzume's attempt to drag him to a love hotel later and here they are, looking at the various decorations around the city. At the center of the square stood a giant Christmas tree with a star on top of it. Uzume looked at the tree while Zike looked at her. "Let's go look at the other decorations!" When she tried to drag her ashikabi to the next spot, the mercenary held his ground more than usual, causing her to give him a curious look. "Zike?"

The mercenary stared at her a moment longer before taking a deep breath. "I noticed this for a while but…you're dead Uzume. Aren't you?"

The pony-tailed sekirei widened her eyes and her face shifted to confusion. "What are you talking about? Is this you speaking crazy stuff again?"

"This day went to well with nothing happening. It went to well. Something was supposed to happen with that Yuki-onna yet nothing did. Not only that but…"

"But…?" She looked at her ashikabi with worry when he turned his head away, refusing to look at her.

"Every time I see your face…every time I see you smile and laugh…throughout this whole day…all I could remember was the face you had when you laid in my arms dying." The mercenary looked at his hand, his eyes closed and trying to bring up the memories he had pushed down for so long. "All I could remember was the look you had when I couldn't say I love you. All I could remember was your blood staining my hands…over the actions that I no doubt caused. You died because of me…yet I don't regret it at all. And here you are smiling and laughing as if I did nothing." He tightened his fist. "I know this is a dream and I know that you are dead. It doesn't change the fact that every time I remember your face, all I see are your hopes and dreams that I denie-"

Uzume did not let him finish. She grabbed his head with both of her hands, bringing her head closer to his and kissing him full on the lips. The mercenary widened his eyes in surprise and considered punching her in the face but luckily the she stopped before she could, resting her forehead on his and giving him a serious look. "Look at me. Do you see me dying right now?"

"Yes." She kissed him again much to his annoyance.

"Do you see me dying right now?"

The mercenary's eye twitched and a tick mark appeared on his forehead. "You are going to die if you keep on doing this."

"That's more like it!" She smiled at him and looked at him dead in the eyes. "I don't know what you are talking about but you are here right now and spending time with me. You are spending time with a sekirei who is still alive and I don't want you thinking about anything else."

"…But..."

She glared at him. "Do you need me to make sense for you again?"

"If it involves more kissing, I will punch you in the face." She giggled at his answer and wrapped her arms around his waist which the mercenary replied with a punch to the top of her head which she ignored. It was when he did it again that she made him stop by jabbing him in the stomach.

"I had a fun time today and I don't want you spoiling my mood with your crazy talk."

"You say that as if I'm crazy."

"You are so dense."

"Not as dense as you are stupid." She punched him in the stomach again for the insult.

She continued to hug him, not showing any signs of letting go. "Even though I'm dead…it's not as if you forgot about me right? As long as you don't forget, everything is fine right?" She pushed herself back and gave him the brightest smile she could make.

Zike widened his eyes and blinked for a few seconds before sighing tiredly, beginning to walk away with a slumped posture which caused Uzume to squawk in surprise. "Annoying aliens and their weird voodoo."

"Oi! We still didn't hit the love hotel yet! I want to have fun with you even though this is a dream!"

The mercenary groaned when she wrapped her arm around his and they both started to fight over how they would spend the rest of the night.

"Don't you ever regret it?"

"Hm?"

"Me being your ashikabi I mean?"

He asked this question when Uzumi resorted to using her inhuman strength to grab him by the back of the collar and drag him to the nearest hotel.

"Why would I regret it? I enjoyed spending my time with you even though it was short."

"…" The mercenary was silent for a few seconds before speaking up again. "…Oh yeah, flashbang."

"Flash what?" The sekirei was blinded by a sudden flash of light which caused her to let go of her ashikabi. "Gah! Get back here! I want this night to be special with you!"

"Like hell you are going to do anything!"

"But I want it as a Christmas present! Can't you grant me this wish?!"

"No! Gah! Not the sheets!"

"Heh, heh, heh. I should have done this before. Now be good as I take you to the hotel where we will have loooooooooooots of fun!"

"You slut! This is cheating!"

"That's what she said~"

"That doesn't even make sense and you know it!"

How he got away and managed to tell the tale is a story for another time.


	13. Past: Act 2-7

**Authors Note:**

*Sips tea* Ahhhh.

You know that moment when you are just sitting, relaxing and reminiscing on the good times. Those moments are good. Then you walk around and trip over your dog, kicking him out of your house for insubordination. Those moments are great. But then there is that moment after rubbing your face in pain that you discovered a room. A room that should have been hidden for all eternity.

The secret bathroom.

Then there is that moment when you really need to take a piss so you go into the bathroom thinking 'Oh why not. It's my bathroom and nobody else's…derp'. Then you realize that someone forgot to flush! There's still that piece of crap sitting in that bowl of horror.

Then you realize it's your own crap that you made in your youth!

And then some people magically appear behind you, cheering you to do who knows what with the toilet!

*Sips tea* Ahhhh.

That my listeners, is how I am feeling right now.

*Throws tea against the wall*

It's when you look at that piece of crap that you start to question what have you been doing all your life! It's even stranger that the piece of crap that you made is starting to take form and people are still looking at it…

Ah screw it.

Nope. I'm doing it. I'm making the best crap ever. Yep. I've lost it. Whatever. Shut up. Nothing anyone will say will stop me from doing it. Yep. Best crap ever.

And this is my entire thought process as I am writing this author's note. My mind is literally on auto-pilot at this point…

Let's…let's just get on with the story before I get even more off track. I'm taking a break from this fanfiction stuff to get everything in order. It won't be long, just a week or two. Too many possible story ideas are going through my head and if I write any more, everything will get screwed up. I will have to do the thing I dreaded on doing when starting a fanfiction, the thing that will horrify me to no end.

Make a plan...because I have been pretty much been writing on the fly up until now. I thought I didn't have to do this and continue to write in my free time but I continually had to rewrite this chapter, which is a waste of time, until I finally got it right. Too many ideas got in my way. Darn things. Goodbye freedom writing. Hello chains of planning…which will boost productivity…and make me have a clearer mind…and improve quality…

...Yeah I'm done. I feel sick and I'm going to bed. Comment and review so I can improve as a writer.

* * *

"So let me get this straight. You went off on your own while everyone was asleep and wasn't looking."

"Yes."

"To another country where you killed a lot of people."

"With explosions yes."

"And you intentionally exposed the sekirei to the world in the process to get their attention."

"Actually they didn't get that much info since the power went out and I'll just shut up now."

"And because of what you did, the blockade blocking off the island. BUT you did not decide to go back to the MBI tower because you thought you were being led around like a dog all over the place."

"I'm not a Chihuahua. I'm a Labrador. My quinceanera is just around the corner."

"And because of your hunch, when we found you, your arm was mysteriously torn open with many of your bones fractured next to Yume who was slightly injured. Not only but, the city which we found you in looking much like a metal graveyard which we barely managed to cover up despite its scale. Oh but here's the good part. You said everything in the city was done by-"

"Mutant Giant metal magical sushi yes. We've been over this."

"…I think there is something out the window."

"You think I will fall for such a petty trick? I am a cold-blooded and experienced mercenary. I can see your hand trembling with the clipboard so if you think I am just going to let you smash it over my-"

"What's your favorite food?"

"Apple pie. Why?"

"There's apple pie flying out the window."

"Holy shit really?! Where?! Where is the flying pie?!" In my defense, it is the only thing that doesn't annoy me. It's like my shining star in the sky…that I can't reach apparently…because I was a second too late in spotting the pie. Why didn't Takami tell me sooner?! All she was doing was looking at her…clip…board.

…Ah crap.

My realization came too late and the old hag slammed the wooden weapon down on my head with all of her strength. Excruciating pain is an understatement. It was like someone slammed a freaking piano on my head except that piano was compressed into a size that could fit into a hand. My hands on reflex grabbed the back of my head as if to soothe the sudden torment. I really wish I hadn't. Because she wasn't even done yet.

"That's for falling for such a stupid trick!"

"You lied to me!? You monster! You are supposed to be a doctor, an angel of the race of humans yet you speak lies!" The old hag slammed the clipboard on my head again which also included the collateral damage of my fingers. Ow! Falling off that building again would be better than this.

"This is for going off on your own without permission."

"Since when do I take orders from an old hag like you? You're not the boss of me." I should have kept my head down on the hospital bed. She slammed the clipboard on my face. "Gah! My eyes!"

"This is for being such an idiot just like that man!"

"Oh. Those love taps. You sure you are not cheating on him by hitting me? Bow chicka wow ow." Another hit by the clipboard. I will never learn. I refuse to learn such meaningless things.

"This is for doing your stunt!"

"Ow."

"This is for putting the sekirei in danger!"

"Ow."

"And this is for not respecting anyone and being so damn sarcastic with me!"

"Ow."

It was ten hits later that she finally stopped hitting me and I was very close to needing medical attention on my head for brain damage. Especially since my head went limp while uttering nonsense. Takami took deep breaths to calm the rage she was feeling and finally stood up at her full height. She was not really old, still in her twenties or early thirties. It was her black hair that was turning gray that made me call her an old hag. Her eyes were small and grey but sharp. She wore a lab coat over her light purple shirt and black tie. Her black pants and shoes would gave me the impression that she is a professional…until she slammed that damn clip board on top of my head.

Takami gave me one more glare before walking towards the exit. "From this moment on, you are no longer the leader of the disciplinary squad. An idiot like you doesn't deserve to lead from what I have seen." She walked out, slamming the door to make her point.

I would have been more down if I…you know…actually cared. In fact, I would have been celebrating if I still wasn't feeling the effects of that weapon called the clip board. I don't have to take care of aliens who can break bones with a punch. Today is a less annoying day already.

The room I was in looked like a regular single hospital room with no windows. Really bland and isolated but at least I don't have to worry about the wind blowing in my face in case the window is left open. There was no T.V.s or anything, making me feel much like a test subject…which I sort of am now that I think about it. There was one thing that was odd though. There is the smell of food nearby. Usually I would just ignore it but it feels like I haven't eaten in days. I turned my head to the left to find out kind of food is available only to twitch my eye once I found something else. Someone else. Takami was not the only person in the room.

I looked at Number Eight as she sat next to my bed, sleeping innocently and laying on my bed, drooling.

Yeah that's nice and all but there is a plate of food in her lap that is very close to spilling at the moment because of her position. Spill the food and I will never forgive you freaking aliens. You took so much from me. My fears were averted when coincidentally Number Eight opened her eyes and blinked. She leaned back into her chair to stretch her arms and body, showing off her body that human woman could never possibly achieve and rubbed her eyes. Then her eyes found my own and she froze on the spot. Tears started to form on her eyes and I can see she was getting ready to pounce.

"ZIK-"

"Stop!" At my command, she froze on the spot mid-pounce, just barely close to spilling the food on her lap. "Before you do anything, take note of your surroundings." She blinked at my words and looked around. I could only give her a deadpan expression when she looked back at me with a tilted head full of confusion. "Look down." She did and she covered her mouth in surprise.

"I'm sorry! I almost spilled your food! I was supposed to bring it to you and fee-"

"Just stop Number Eight and give me my food." I closed my eyes and tried to palm my face. Because of it, I didn't see Yume suddenly change her expression when I said her name. "Ahn?" However, my hand did not appear on my face. Neither of them. I looked down and noticed that both of my arms, healed thanks to science, were strapped onto the bed I was on. I gave a few tugs and realized that I could not break out of them to eat my food.

That evil, old, sadistic old hag!

"Oi Number Eight! Put the food on my lap so I can eat it like a dog!" There are no other options left. I have to eat like a dog to survive. There is no shame in doing such things when your belly is empty. The sacrifice of pride is a reasonable price to pay. "…Number Eight?" I raised an eyebrow when she looked at me with a serious face.

"Yume."

"What?" I tilted my head. If she wanted to dream, she can do it after I eat my food.

"Call me Yume. That is the name you gave me." I met her serious expression with narrowed eyes.

"I don't remember that." All I remember is falling off a building while saying whee! I don't remember giving her such a name. "Just give me the food Number Eight and no one will get hurt." I think my threat fell on deaf ears because of my arms strapped to the bed.

"Yume."

"Number Eight."

"Yume."

"Number Eight."

"Yume."

"Number. Eight." We both glared at each other with intense expressions, growling as neither of us are getting what we wanted. I blinked when she suddenly smiled innocently and leaned back into her chair. Finally she gave up. Now I can-

I froze when she picked up the fork on the plate, piercing a small piece of chicken and slowly put it in her mouth, making pleasured sounds as the food met her taste buds. After a few seconds of this, she picked up another piece of meat but stopped once she realized I was staring at her. She blinked and brought the fork close to my face. "You want one?" She said it so innocently that were it not for me being strapped to the bed, I would have strangled her. I thrusted my head to take a bite out of the food but she just as quickly brought it out of the reach of my head and put it into her mouth, squealing again at the taste. "Too bad." The shadows of her hair covered her eyes as she smiled while chewing her food. You slut. You freaking slut. "Say ah." She once more brought the fork close to my mouth but once more she brought it out of my reach to take a bite out of it. "Too slow."

My body was trembling at this point and numerous veins were no doubt popping on my forehead. This slut. She learned too much when I was still unconscious…wait…learned too much? Wait who taught her such a technique?! I mean I didn't do it…at least not this early. At a later time maybe.

The answer came coincidentally when the door to my room opened and Number Eight's sadistic expression turned joyful. "Karasuba!"

"Hello Number Eight. Is he relenting yet?"

"My name is Yume!" She puffed her cheeks out at the gray-haired swordsman who raised her hands in surrender.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm just used to calling you Number Eight. So Yume, any progress?"

"No! He's being really stubborn. I don't know why he is like this."

"I wonder why indeed." She opened her squinty eyes which turned mirthful when I glared at her with innate anger.

"…You taught her this?" I referred to the fork that was continually touching my cheek at this point. It got out of my reach when I tried to bite it again.

"Well I don't mean to brag but yes."

"…I'm going to kill you."

"You're so adorable." She placed a hand on her cheek, pissing me off further when she looked at me like a puppy. "How adorable that you think that you can kill me."

"No seriously. I'm going to kill you. Once these straps comes off, you better watch yourself when you sleep at night."

"And now you're spouting words of nonsense. So adorable."

"I'll show you adorable you freaking…stop poking me with that fork Number Eight!" Number Eight did not stop so I just tried to bite it. It was pathetic but I couldn't really do much with these straps on my arm.

"Your adorableness is not as interesting as what you did. Attacked an entire base and somehow, mysteriously ended up in a city which is now considered ruins. Very interesting indeed. Mind telling me how that happened exactly?"

"I don't know. I'm having trouble remembering due to the fork poking me on the cheek but maybe I can remember if you give me Takami's clip board and let me smash it on your head while using the remains to smash it on her head. I think that will help me remember greatly. You should do that."

Karasuba chuckled and walked over to Yume, placing her head right next to the brown-haired alien. "I don't think you are trying hard enough Yume." She gently grabbed her hand and thrusted the fork hard against my cheek which slightly jerked my head. If it wasn't for the fact that there is a piece of tough food on the utensil, I would have been stabbed. "Like this."

"Oh!" The brown-haired sekirei's eyes turned into stars and she brought her arm back to repeat what her master has taught her.

"Don't repeat what she did! Do you want me to die?!"

"But why would you die? You are in a hospital." Number Eight tilted her head in confusion as her arm was still poised to strike.

"Yeah Zike. Why are you spouting nonsense?" The smirk on the swordswoman's face got even wider.

"…This is for me not taking you isn't it?"

"Yes. Yes it is." She brought her head closer to mine, her grin wide enough to terrify anyone other than me…because I am weird like that. "I know you encountered something very powerful yet refuse to say anything about it."

"Oh sucks to be you then. Are you going to cry about it? I can see the tear in your eyes. Need a tissue box?"

Karasuba's expression froze on her face as I gave her a mocking look. As if I will be intimidated by someone like you-

"Yume, try again with a little more force."

"Yes Karasuba!"

Oh shit.

I soon lost consciousness from Yume's attempt to tease me into saying her name.

o. o. o.

It was the second day from waking up that I realized my current situation.

"Okay, Takami. Let's negotiate."

"Hm." Takami was filling out her clipboard right now while looking at my right arm to monitor its progress in healing.

"I am willing to treat you with respect for one full day if you remove the straps."

"How about for the rest of your life?"

"Takami, let's not get ahead of ourselves. One full day of respect is better than none at all."

"Are you saying your freedom is worth treating me with respect for one day you bastard?"

"No it's actually less than that. I'm being nice." I heard Takami snap her pen and braced myself for another hit on the head with the clipboard. However it did not come. But that did not ease my feelings at all when I saw her grin widely.

"…Why are you smiling like that?" I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"Well I forgot to mention it yesterday but…all of the disciplinary squad wants to meet you."

"Uh-huh." I turned my head away to look at the wall, bored already. Looks like there is nothing to worry about.

"I should mention that they have yet to be taught much about human customs yet."

"…Why are you saying that part slowly?" I blinked as I realized something. The way Karasuba acted yesterday. How Yume acted when I was with her. They don't know much about human customs yet. And then I realized that I was strapped down with no real and sure way to defend myself or avoid the danger. "Oh no."

"Oh yes. Have fun." She walked out the door, waving her clipboard in the air as if it was my death sentence.

"No wait!" Damn these straps on my arms! This was her plan all along! Trap me in a room filled with unintelligent and uncultured aliens for revenge for making her life miserable! I will make your life more miserable later on you annoying old hag! Just as soon as I get these stupid straps off! You don't know how to rage a war against me woman and I will make sure you regret making the first strike!

It was just as I was uttering multiple curses in my head at her that my cheek was turned by a soft and made me look into the eyes of Number Eight. "Don't look at any other woman but me." Oh God no! She then started to climb into my bed until finally straddling me, looking down at me with a lusty expression. She then leaned down, bringing her head close to mine and looking a bit too focused on my lips. I tried to turn away but she forced me to look at her.

Like hell I will let things go your way! I slammed my head on her forehead which caused her to flinch back, holding her head in pain. I'm pretty sure it hurts me more than it hurts you considering the fact that I am seeing stars right now and it feels like someone slammed a hammer on my forehead. As I was holding my head in pain, the door to my room opened which Number Eight looked toward with tears in her eyes.

"Kazehana! It's not working! He hit me!" I just gave the brown-haired woman a deadpan expression from how she acted too much like a spoiled kid.

"Ara? Is he rougher than we thought? I knew that we would have to be assertive but it appears we underestimated him." Walking over to my bed was the woman named Kazehana, the woman I saw on Kamikura and when I was trying to escape their pursuit. I didn't really get a good look at her before but now that I see her in her full glory…yeah she looks like a stripper. No doubt about that. Freaking stripper woman teaching Number Eight such things. The stripper had long flowing purple hair that was straight even though her kind probably does not know much about the hard effort of human woman. Her eyes were a darker shade of purple and the uniform she wore was the same as the rest of the disciplinary squad. And her breasts-

Oh my God! Look at the size of those things!? You could fit your hand in there and it would magically disappear!? Now that I think about it, why are all of these woman looking so beautiful?! What is this genetic alien bullshit?!

My twitching eye made Kazehana blinked in wonder, no doubt curious about what I am thinking. "Is he always like this?" Number Eight nodded and I really wanted to punch her at this moment. "Well anyway, my name is-"

"Kazehana. I know. She just said your name." I gave her a blank look to show that I was not amused with the situation at all. I then kicked Yume off of the bed which caused her to yelp in surprise and fall flat on her face.

"Ahaha." The woman rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Well there goes my introduction. I heard it was common to do it in Japan."

"Anywhere else but here stripper." I blinked when I felt something warm trail down my right cheek. I spotted a single cherry blossom leaf floating in the room with no plants whatsoever and looked down to find a drop of blood on my sheet. My blood. I looked at the purple haired woman and found her smiling with her hands clasped behind her back.

"You shouldn't talk down to a woman Zike. You don't know what kind of claws they will show once you do." It didn't take me long to figure out the threat that went along with her innocent words. Too bad it didn't work on me. I'm stubborn.

"Oh are you kitty now? Maybe you should go play with the other kitties and have fun with your little ball of yarn." I could sense the wind pick up but I was not worried at all. More like I didn't care. Treating someone with respect is almost impossible for me to do. I am not going to do it just because someone is threatening me to do so.

The smile was wiped off her face and we both stared at each other. I ignored my obvious disadvantage of being strapped down and narrowed my eyes at her. The tension would have increased if it wasn't for Number Eight jumping in between both of us. She grabbed both of our heads and slammed them, causing both of us to yelp in pain. "No fighting you two!"

"Since when did you become the authority?!" What is it with people and causing my head pain and agony? Is it like some kind of universal instinct or something?!

"You are so mean." Kazehana pouted at her younger fellow sekirei. She then looked at me and frowned. "You really have a lot of work ahead of you."

"Yep. But I won't give up." Number Eight pumped her fist in the air which was soon matched by the wind-wielding woman.

"Good. And I will help you melt his icy cold heart as a fellow sister looking for love. Let's both get our men to fall in love with us!" It disturbs me how motivated she is about such things.

"Yes Kazehana-sama!"

"Please do it when you both are dead and the world will be at peace." My words fell on deaf ears and I palmed my face when they started to chat amongst themselves. I really need to break them up before they start doing things that will no doubt annoy me…wait a second. They don't know much about human customs right? So that also means they haven't tried the things a human has tried either. Which means I can not only break this thing up but also...oh yes.

"Hey Kazehana." I spoke gently which got the two sekirei to stop their conversation to look at me from my sudden change of tone. Kazehana narrowed her eyes suspiciously but I pressed on. "Do you know one of the things we humans use to fall in love?" She glared at me suspiciously but I shook my head to ease her suspicious. "I don't lie. So do you want to know or not?"

She slowly nodded and I proceeded to tell her one of man's greatest pleasures.

o. o. o.

"What did you do?"

"Hm? What? Whatever did you mean Takami?" I looked at her innocently, confused as to why she is glaring at me hatefully.

"What do I mean? I mean what did you do to Kazehana?! One moment she was just fine but now she is nothing but a drunkard now! So what did you do?!"

"I did nothing of the sort Takami. How could I do anything with these straps on my arm? Shouldn't you be doing your work while I prepare myself for meeting the rest of the disciplinary squad? I mean you don't want to take care of two idiots now do you?"

She growled and slammed the door shut again as she walked away. Number Eight sat there and tilted her head at the exchange before perking up once the door opened again. "Matsu!"

"Hello Yu-"

"You look like someone who likes information." I interrupted their greeting. "How about I tell you the secrets of the internet?"

And it was on that day that a pervert was born. All is just in war.

o. o. o.

"What do you want?" Takami fell on the floor with a dejected look on her face. "Please, no more." A human being should be ashamed at bringing such a woman to a state but I had no mercy within me. She started this war but I am going to end it.

"Straps. Off. Now."

"But…" She looked at me, trying to find some way to get out of the situation. "I will get the disciplinary squad to stop visiting you. How about that?!"

"But what is stopping them from visiting of their own accord?" The woman flinched back and I nodded. "That's what I thought. Now straps off now." She looked down at the ground, gritting her teeth and unwilling to follow my commands. You poor woman. You don't know who you are messing with. I tried to warn you, yet you still tried to defeat me. I looked up at the ceiling without a care in the world. "I think two more people are going to visit me. I wonder what they will like about the human world."

Takami froze as she realized which two I was referring to. She looked at me with a pale face which I met with a cold and merciless look. "You wouldn't. No there is no way for you to change them."

"The question is not whether it is impossible or not. The question is if those two will be worse than the rest by the time I am done with them."

o. o. o.

I whistled as I massaged my wrists which have now been freed from the straps. I blinked when I noticed I am being stared at and looked to my left to find Number Eight glaring at me. "What?"

"…You are a bad person."

"Bad is a very subjective term." Number Eight's head tilt told me that she didn't understand the definition I used. "Now, we are going to try this again. Give me the food." Even though there was a new plate on her lap every day, why does it seem like it has always been there? Whatever. I will get that cupcake and that sushi.

The woman immaturely puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms. "Why won't you say my name?"

"Honestly, because if I do I will have to live with the nightmare of seeing your face happy which will make you have a feeling that you're making progress. I am a mercenary not a lover so I don't want you making advances on me like some kind of stalker."

"But I'm not a stalker! You are my ashikabi!"

"Translation: I am a stalker. You are my target." The brown-haired woman crossed her arms, giving me a scowl which I returned with my bored look. I don't remember giving you such a name and I refuse to accept that I gave you the name when I have no memory of it. Think of your dog cosplaying as a cat yet people are saying its cat. That is basically my situation right now. The dog is a dog, not a hairy, fur ball.

We stared at each other, both of us not willing to relent. We didn't even notice as the door was opened again. It was only after a few minutes later that I noticed that someone else was sitting next to Number Eight. Someone who is considered rarity considering what I have been through so far.

Sitting next to Number Eight…is a guy.

I don't mean to sound like I am interested in anything related to romance but over these past few days I have been meeting nothing but woman non-stop. Most guys will get turned on by that except the fact that all the woman beat me up at some point. Actually, that happens almost all the time with woman. I think it's their inability to come up with better comebacks to my insults. With men, they don't hit me…as much. They just come up with a better comeback…which I counter easily.

It's the thought that counts.

Wait now that I take a good look at him, I am regretting his appearance. That shirt showing off his chest makes him look like a playboy. Maybe even close to a stripper. Hell, even Kazehana wore more decent closing than this guy. I get it. He's an alien. He must be feeling jealous look more beautiful than him so he is showing off his body to show that he matters too. I get it completely but don't show off your body to make up for something you don't have. It makes you look weird and staring at you makes me feel as if I am the weird one.

The guy noticed my stare and narrowed his eyes at me. "…Stop staring."

"…You bastard." I narrowed my eyes in return. Like hell I am going to let you act cool.

The man sighed, standing up and walking towards the exit. Yeah you better run. Nobody needs your emo personality. "Mutsu!" The scarf wearing man turned around and saw the face of Number Eight giving him the cutest puppy dog look ever. She is telling him to stay in her time of need. The grey haired man scratched his hair and sighed, not wanting to stick around someone like me. Well I don't want to stick around you either pretty boy. Your kind disgusts me.

"Name is Mutsu."

I blinked at the sudden introduction but answered a second later. "Zike."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…You can go."

"Hm." Mutsu nodded at me and walked out the door and my day seemed to be looking up for me when I saw Number Eight's betrayed face staring at where the alien last stood. Strangely, out of all the aliens I have met so far, he is the least annoying. Mostly because he doesn't seem like much of a talker. I still don't like his pretty boy face though. I kind of wanted a stupid alien so I can insult him and he tries to kill me, giving me a reason to kill him. Ah, the wonders of self-defense…

But all I am left with are women who have a few loose screws in their heads. Beautiful women with loose screws. It's like a freaking manga.

"He seemed nice…Number Eight." The brown haired woman groaned and let her head fall on my bed, causing the plate of food on her lap to fall on the floor. "Nooooooooo!"

o. o. o.

Fifth day and my arm is almost healed. The old hag informed me that I would be let out tomorrow, hinting that there would be changes regarding my agreement with the MBI due to my, ahem, stunt. Number Eight is not here today, the first time she has been away from me in a while. The only time we were away from each other is in Russia and when I fell off that building. That was fun. Punched in the stomach and a torn-up arm. An hour of physical activity a day kids so jump out a window for some high-quality exercise.

Okay, where do I begin with this mother-of-all bullshit? Oh right, let's get to the two sekirei that I met. Mr. Emo and Ms. I can't follow up on threats.

I reached over and grabbed my backpack which had been lying next to my bed. Apparently Number-Eight kept it guarded, not letting anyone else touch it but me because of how she felt. Cute. Well it was a good thing she didn't because if someone opened it up, I would face a lot of questions. I zipped open the container, taking out what seemed like a jewel. The jewel easily fit into the palm of my hand while also being very light despite its look. Etched on the front of the jewel is the number one and inside it, directly at the center is a dark purple orb.

I snagged it off the emo when I jumped off. Suckers thought I would jump off for no reason.

I tossed the jewel in my hand a bit, thankfully nothing happening as I did so. It is very possible that the emo used this to enhance his abilities, hence why an entire city is now littered with scrap metals. Ms. I got a problem with war said that they were eight ships and considered the fact that this jewel thing has the number one on it, there are seven more jewels. I wouldn't be surprised if the MBI has already found out about the jewel that they found in the ship and are already researching it. But I am not going to show them what I have obtained. For more reasons than one.

One hundred and eight sekirei is currently under the control of the MBI while Ms. I got a problems has an unknown amount under her control. It may seem like we have the advantage in numbers but we don't know exactly what ship we are. There is also the fact that they have acquired more jinki…no. They were testing the ability of the jinki in the city. But that brings up why they haven't done so before.

Next is the disciplinary squad. I find it adorable that they visited me when I am injured. I don't feel touched however. Kind of hard to when they were out to kill me two times before. But I feel that their visit isn't just because their new leader was found injured. I think it's related to me being the first ashikabi that they have seen. I don't believe they did it with good intentions on their minds. From what I have seen so far, when something looks for a mate, usually that mate dies in the end…

I really hope that I didn't foreshadow…wait.

On Kamikura, there were four different divisions of the forces. Infantry, tank, air, and naval. Excluding Matsu since she seems like an analyst, there are supposed to be four sekirei who confronted the divisions. For whatever reason, Number Eight was not there. I have only been introduced to four of the five aliens I have seen on Kamikura.

Where is the fifth one?

My question was answered when the door to my room was suddenly opened, almost making me drop the jewel that I was tossing into the air. I hastily put it in my backpack and zipped it up, placing it back next to my bed. By the time the door fully opened, I stared at the visitor and looked as if nothing happened at all. However, at the sight of the visitor, I knew that this visit will be a bit more serious than the previous ones.

The visitor walked in and stood next to my bed, giving me a cold stare with her brown eyes which I returned with a bored one. She wore the same uniform as the rest of the disciplinary squad. At her waist and strapped onto a belt is a katana, the same katana that was no doubt used to cut ships in half. Her mere presence caused my throat to slightly tighten, making it hard to breathe a bit. I didn't realize that I was already starting to sweat.

That may be because she may hate me at the moment and really wants me dead. Just a guess though.

She slightly narrowed her eyes at me, seeming to size up my entire form. Even though we met before, this was the first time we met alone without the situation being out of control. "…Sekirei react to their ashikabi. But Yume being winged you makes me doubt if their reactions are reliable."

Oh goodie. First time we talk and I am already being called a mistake. Bring milkshakes while you're at it. "Uh-huh. Can you leave?" I ignored the fact that it feels like she wants to kill me more. Disrespect will always be my number one tool of conversation.

"I am number one-"

"Number one of annoyances."

"Of the sekirei-

"A.k.a. nymphomaniacs." The air hissed and a blade found itself kissing the blade of her sword. I should have brought a jacket because the air got colder. I returned her cold look with the most bored stare I could give her. "For being Number One, you don't have manners like the rest of your kind. Everyone greeted me and introduced themselves yet here you are pulling a blade on me, you're leader. I think this counts as insubordination." I could see her grit her teeth so I pressed even more. "You may be the leader of your kind," Play stupid Zike. Don't need to let her know that you may know more than you actually let on, "But you should know that doing these things out in the real world will get you and your kind killed. So are you going to keep pretending that you have control of the situation and continue to threaten to kill me, which I know you won't considering I am an ashikabi. Or are you going to calm down and talk?"

I should have taken out my phone because the look of pure rage she gave me was priceless. Though I was getting worried that the room started to shake a bit and a few strands of her hair started to float, she eventually took a deep breath, calming herself down and sheathing her sword. "There. Was that so hard?" She once more gave me a heated glare. We are such off to a good start. I can just feel the connection between us. I knew she wanted to say something, anything to get control of the conversation but for all the power she possessed, it was useless. The fact that she realizes this is commendable. "I'd rather not deal with a massive explanation of the sekirei so why don't we just narrow it down to the reason why we are all quite annoyed with each other? Being Number Eight's ashikabi and it being an unusual case because she is broken. What is it?" Even now I still don't know much about it.

Number One tightened the grip on her sword but her face was impassive as she gave the explanation. "A broken number is a sekirei that has winged herself, thus cannot have an ashikabi. The fact that you managed to wing her is considered impossible." Her cold and robotic voice would have terrified me if I wasn't already used to this sort of crap.

"So in other words you, you don't know anything." I pretended to not notice her mouth twitch when I pointed out her incompetence. "Then just tell me what being an ashikabi is."

"An ashikabi is someone who is has winged a sekirei." I waited for her to continue but she just stared at me in defiance. Make me work for it huh?

"Fine. What is this winging?"

"When a sekirei is winged, a deep and everlasting is formed between the ashikabi and the sekirei. For our kind, it is a bond of love. It is a bond that lasts forever, a promise that the sekirei will stick with his or her ashikabi, love, and protect forever and ever." I can't believe she said those words with a straight face.

"…You're joking." My face was in disbelief at this point. Love? Protect? Forever and ever? All of it sounds like nothing but bullshit. Love is fake. Protect? Protection that is needed that is because of the danger the sekirei has brought. And forever and ever? Only until one of the two dies. Forever is just a lie.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "I would rather not have you insult our sacred traditions."

"Too bad for you." Oh great now I'm getting pissed off. I palmed my face and sighed, trying to calm down. It is the only sign I am willing to give her that I went too far. I will never regret nor apologize. "Just…just tell me if it is dangerous or not."

It was because my hand covered my face that I did not see a sign of her hesitating for a single instant. "If either the sekirei or the ashikabi dies, the other will also die."

So I was right. I knew this ashikabi thing was nothing but trouble. So many questions went through my head. How long is their lifespan? How similar to humans are they? Is there anything poisonous to them that I am not aware of? Will they die if certain conditions are met? So many questions yet I did not care about their kind at all. I only cared about myself. Myself and my survival. In the end, I just banged my head against the wall and growled.

"Just leave. I really don't want more stuff to think about at the moment."

She stared at me a moment longer and I considered if I would have to be more forceful. "…If I may ask, do you love Yume?"

I gave her a look as if she is stupid. "I don't love anything."

"…You really are lost." I resisted to urge to be the idiot and ask what she meant as she walked out the door. Instead I just kept banging my head against the wall, continually saying annoying.

Annoying freaking aliens.

o. o. o.

"Yay, you are finally released!"

"Your cheerfulness…stop it." Takami didn't check me out but I honestly didn't care. I was tired of staying in this white room with nothing to do. At this point, I don't care about anything anymore…more than usual and just wanted to get this alien stuff out of the way. Number Eight bounced while I put my jacket on, looking like a puppy that I really wanted to kick. Being here and doing nothing is really getting to me if I have those sort of thoughts.

My eye twitched as she kept on bouncing up and down with a joyful look on her face. "Yume, stop jumping." She did, which made me raise an eyebrow as her eyes widened along with her smile. Why is she…I said her name didn't I? I was completely unprepared for when she wrapped her arms around me and let out a squeal of glee. Punching her ran though her mind but her powerful grip prevented me from doing that.

"Put me down. Now." She obliged but she continued to stay close to me. She stood at attention but I could see the hope in her eyes. Ugh.

Before I could grab the handle to finally leave the room, she asked me a question. "By the way, what makes you happy? I want to make you happy but you never really told me what things makes you happy."

I blame it on the stress that I was feeling because before I knew it, I said the very thing that will make me happy. The very thing that I have kept a secret for a long time. It was only a few seconds later that I realized what I had done and looked at her with panic.

Only to find her smiling as if nothing happened. That shouldn't have happened. No one is supposed to act like that when someone says that. Was she not listening or is she so much in shock that she can't eve-

"I won't let you." She said those words with a smile on her face, looking at me as if I was her precious object.

At that moment, everything stopped for me. The moment she said those words, I hated her more than anything. Which kind of explains why I pulled out a knife to kill her.

Go figure.


End file.
